Silent Love
by xXLunarEclipse896Xx
Summary: Crime!AU. "The only fool here is you, my lovely little Yao. If you were to kill me in the most sadistic and brutal of ways, my love for you would not die. Instead, it would grow and live on to haunt you." -Rated M for language, sex, and gore-
1. Prologue: Silent Love

_I've always admired your smile. Even when things are bleak, you can smile that one smile that lights up the world. It's funny, how I've grown used to seeing that smile. Whenever it is absent, I feel like something in my life is missing…_

_The feelings I hold for you are better left unsaid. I am a monster that has fallen in love with an angel, and I deserve to rot in hell for it. My love would taint your pureness. My love would turn you into an outcast of society. I am forever stained with blood and death. Perhaps this is my punishment? Perhaps God made me fall in love with you to remind me of how pathetic I am._

……_Pathetic….._

_Yes, I am pathetic. All of my life, I have used people to help me survive. I am nothing more than a parasite feeding off of people's love and warmth. I have no friends, for I used them up. I have no family, for I have murdered them. I have no love, for you hate me now as well. My only companion is Death, but it is a silent friendship. We sit alone in the cold, absorbing the hate and sorrows of the people around us, but we are together, nonetheless. _

_Do you remember when we used to sit together, basking in the afternoon sun? I would say, "I love the sunlight. It is so warm, and it fills up the void inside of me. You like the sunlight too, da?" You would turn to me and smile—that very smile that melts my heart. You would say, "Yes, I do. I also love sitting out here, listening to the birds chirp. It's peaceful, aru."_

_I love hearing you talk. Your voice is smooth and warm. My voice is cold and sharp, like the snow and ice I was born around. I was born and raised in a pathetic little village in Russia, where no one ever smiled or laughed. Our lives had no meaning or value. Murder had no meaning or value. Death was as common as the snowfall. Mama and Papa, despite our bleak existence, wanted to protect us from the dangers of the outside world. They kept us—my sisters and I—hidden from strangers and shady folks. They never once realized that I was the one that would bring them all to their death._

_I painted them red._

_My paintbrush was a rusty pipe I found on the outskirts of town, my paint was their blood. My sisters loved me, and yet I killed them. My parents loved me, and yet I killed them. My heart was wrapped around in snow, and it could never melt. _

_I moved to America when I grew older. I was a lost teenager in a large country filled with people. The people were different than the people of my village. They loved to talk and smile at everyone. They would laugh and sing and dance when there was nothing to laugh and sing and dance about. Their warmth filled the air, and the bright lights of the city filled the void within me. The warm sunlight of California pierced me. _

_I found my calling in life as well. Like bugs are drawn to light, fellow murderers are drawn to each other. I met my comrades at a bar one night when I was drinking vodka. Their smiles cannot compare to yours, and they never will. We came together, and like the founders of America, we created something. We created "The Comrades": a group of hit men. We took assignments like a dehydrated fool took water. We gladly murdered and attacked the people clients asked us to murder and attack, and I felt the hole inside of my closing up. My comrades' names, you already know—Gilbert, Ludwig, Francis, and Matthias. We make up the best group of assassins in California. _

_I'm their Golden Boy, you know. I can kill without a second thought, and I can make it look like an accident. I'm the most cold-blooded monster in the entire world. This all frightens you, doesn't it? The icy eyes of mine that you once called "beautiful" have seen grotesque murders, all committed by these hands of mine that you once called "lovely". You're disgusted, aren't you?_

_I am merely a replacement, though. They already formed a different group of assassins, but It fell apart due to their leader/Golden Boy leaving to live 'a real life'. He wanted to stop being a murderer. He wanted to be someone. His name was Arthur Kirkland, and I am only a shadow compared to him. I have seen pictures of him, and I must admit that he looks nothing at all like a murderer should. His eyes are warm and loving, and he wore a simple smile on his face in the photos I have seen. He is skinny and looks weak, but he was able to kill seven men all at once. I could never do that._

_I can't do so many things, actually. I can't be as good as the legendary Arthur Kirkland; I can't be a normal person like he is now; I can't be as pure as you are; and I can't tell you how much I love you. My love would disgust you. I disgust you. My very name disgusts you. You have suffered enough before I came into your life, and I am so greedy that I inflict more agony onto you to keep you close. Like I have said, I am a cold-hearted monster. I love you so much, and yet I must keep it inside myself forever. I see your angelic face, and my entire being burns as I restrain myself._

_I want to hold you in my arms and never let you go._

_I want to see your smile everyday. _

_I want to openly love you, and have you openly love me back._

_But, instead, I am silencing you with my eyes._

_They paralyze you with fear. _

* * *

_**Pairings: Russia/China, US/UK, Prussia/Canada, Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, and Greece/Italy**_

_**This prologue was told in Ivan's point of view, and he is referring to some events that will occur later on in the story.**_

_**Each chapter is titled after a song by "Dir en Grey", all except for this prologue.  
**_


	2. Chapter 1:Glass Skin

**Song: Glass Skin by Dir en Grey**

* * *

_My vision begins to blur_  
_ The glass sky, the color of the wind_  
_ The merry-go-round playing alone_  
_ I wave_  
_ My somehow faded voice is more important to me than my guilty conscience_  
_ Tomorrow I sleep, leaving myself behind_  
_ Emptier still than any tears of comedy_  
_ Left to be just taken_  
_ Left to be just damaged_  
_ Here..._

* * *

Yao had no clue as to what was going on, but it had something to do with finding Kiku. That alone made him come along with the two men that greeted him at his front door only a few minutes ago, asking to talk with him about the "Kiku Incident". Despite the fact that he was still in his pajamas, Yao was anxious to know what was going on. Apparently, the two men were detectives and they needed to question him. Without a doubt, they were detectives, for they had shown their official badges and licenses to prove their identities. Yao, however, only had one doubt about them and that was if they could be trusted or not.

"So, Wang Yao, is it? I am Detective Arthur Kirkland and this is my partner, Alfred F. Jones. Sorry for stopping by unannounced, but this is a rather important topic that needs to be discussed." The one that was driving was the first to speak since they began driving around. They were driving around in circles around the town square, killing time by waiting for lights and pedestrians. "Well, Mr. Yao, we were sent to discuss with you about the incident that occurred three months ago. Do you understand what I'm talking about?" Yao merely nodded in response, his mouth dry. The mere mention of the incident was enough to drain him of all thoughts and senses-pulling him out of the entire world and pushing him into a nightmare realm.

The other man, the one called Alfred, sighed heavily. "Well, we need to talk about what happened. So your younger brother, Kiku, went insane and then ran away from your family, right? Was there a reason for tha—?"

Arthur slapped Alfred upside the head, whispering harshly, "You bloody git! That's no way to talk to someone that went through a tragedy! This is why I do the talking, damn it!"

"But Iggy, you said last night that I could do the questioning if I let you top!"

Yao blushed as he realized what exactly Alfred meant by that statement. The air was suddenly filled with an awkward silence as Arthur and Alfred stared at each other in horror, their secret tumbling into the car's atmosphere and into Yao's mind. Silently, Yao looked down at his feet, not daring to say anything more. Arthur picked up on Yao's shock, and started cursing at Alfred even more.

"Goddamn it! Just shut up, you bloody git! I swear, you always slip out about our relationship, damn it!" Arthur glanced back at Yao and blushed slightly, silently apologizing for the downhill conversation.

"As I was saying, we are going to ask you about that incident with your brother, Kiku. Can you please tell us more about what led up to the event?"

"He isn't my brother, aru. He was adopted."

"Continue, please."

Yao shook his head defiantly. "No, I can't. I-I... I just can't." The mere mention of Kiku was like someone whipping at his ankles, trying to make him collapse under the weight and pain. "Please, don't make me talk, aru... I just... It just hurts too much… I won't, aru..." Arthur frowned. "I can understand why you're upset, Yao, but please try to understand that we're trying to find Kiku. If you refuse to cooperate, we'll never find him. Now, tell us, was Kiku involved with anyone bad? A gang or cult, perhaps?" His emerald eyes pierced into Yao's, as if trying to dig into his mind and find out everything he needed to know. Yao could easily guess that Arthur used that piercing look to make the people he was question feel rather uncomfortable and uneasy.

"No, he was never part of anything bad, aru. That was why I was so surprised when it all happened. He was always so good to everyone and so polite too. He was shy and never had many friends, but he was always so happy, aru. He had one good friend... I think his name was Heracles..."

"Wait," Alfred cut in, his eyes sharpening, "Heracles Karpusi! Kiku knew Heracles Karpusi?" His eyes were filled with shock and alarm and so were Arthur's. Yao shifted uneasily in his seat, nodding silently. What was with them? Alfred chewed his lip uneasily, as if trying to work up the nerve to come out with something. "Yao, Heracles went missing on the day Kiku committed the attack."

"W-What? You…you're not suggesting that Kiku and Heracles are involved together. Are you, aru?"

"We don't know. It is a possibility, though," Arthur sighed, shaking his head.

Yao gritted his teeth and dug the heels of his slippers into the mats on the floor. "Kiku would never run off like that, aru! Maybe Heracles kidnapped him?"

Arthur shrugged, and then turned the car left to head back towards Yao's apartment. "Tell us more about the incident. What happened? What he did."

Yao shook his head. He could just feel the tears building up in his eyes now and the scar on his back began to sting miserably. It was almost as if the scar itself was screaming at him. "Yao! Do you want you brother back or not!" Alfred snapped impatiently. Yao clutched the sides of his head and nodded. "I-I do! B-but I just…just!" Arthur parked the car.

"You can get out as soon as you talk to us about Kiku. Tell us, Yao. Tell us and we can find him and Heracles. Then you can live normally again." Biting his lip, Yao reluctantly nodded. From the corner of his eye, he could see his other younger brother, Yong Soo, staring down at them in shock from their apartment's window. He had to make it fast. "I was preparing lunch for us—Kiku, Yong Soo, Mei, and I. Yong Soo and Mei were watching something on the TV, aru, and Kiku was in his room. I called them, saying i-it was ready… and…and when I went to c-check on K-Kiku…." Yao paused to wipe his eyes. "He was holding his favorite katana sword. It was his original father's before he was adopted, aru. I told him to put it away so we could all eat but…but he turned to me and… H-He knocked me over and slashed my back. The next thing I-I…I knew, Yong Soo and M-Mei were screaming for help and f-for Kiku to stop it. K-Kiku was attacking them too... I couldn't get up…so…so when the police arrived, b-because the neighbors heard us screaming, aru….Kiku was gone." Yao started sobbing violently.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing with my big brother!" Mei shouted, pounding furiously at the car door. Yao looked up, only to see his younger sister and Yong Soo at the car's side, glaring in. Yong Soo was placing his hands on his hips, angrily tapping his foot like a parent waiting for a child's explanation. Mei glared at Arthur and Alfred through the window again and started shouting at them to go to hell. Yao opened the door and wobbled out, dizzy with grief. "M-Mei, aru. Relax, they are detectives. They had to ask me some stuff, aru."

"Aniki! You're crying! Get inside before some hot chick sees you and thinks you're weird!" Yong Soo chided.

Alfred chuckled nervously. "We apologize, Yao. We'll keep in touch and thank you for your time." They shut the car door and drove off, leaving the three Asians alone in silence. Mei frowned and turned to Yao, scowling deeply. "Alright, Yao, spill. Did they ask about the incident? Were they news reporters? If they were, call the police on them. I'm so done with these damn nosy people!" She glared at Yong Soo next. "And _you!_ What were you thinking, talking about impressing girls at a time like this! You're so childish, Yong Soo!" She firmly placed her hands on her hips, her pink painted fingernails almost blending in with the pink fabric of her skirt.

"They were detectives. They're tracking down Kiku and Heracles, aru," Yao said dryly, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.

Yong Soo and Mei turned to him in surprise. "Heracles Karpusi? Why him?"

"He left town the same day Kiku did what he did. The detectives, Alfred and Arthur, think they might have run off together. They were on really good terms, aru. They might…have eloped." The thought sent unwanted tingles down Yao's spine. They felt like spider bites, or like he was being stabbed slowly down the back. "But that doesn't explain why Kiku…"

Mei sighed and placed her hands on her brother's shoulders. "Come on, let's not talk about this outside. I think we should relax to a hot bowl of noodles and talk about how Edward doesn't deserve Bella, and how Jacob is the true match for her." Her brothers groaned and shook their heads. "No way," Yong Soo huffed, "And Twilight is gay."

"Hey, aru. Don't be so offensive. You know what? Those two detectives were gay and they're lovers, aru. Can you believe it?" Yao chuckled, patting Yong Soo on the back as they entered their apartment lobby. They laughed together all the way up the elevator, until they reached the third floor.

Kiku's laugh seemed to echo, even when it wasn't there.

* * *

"God, I hate you, you sodding git."

"I love you too, Arthur," Alfred said with a grin. He watched in amusement as his lover's face turned an adorable shade of pink in embarrassment. Together for at least six months, and Arthur still got flustered at the words "I love you". Not that Alfred minded. It was adorable and he couldn't get enough of watching the way Arthur would act when embarrassed. "Listen, Iggy, we need to start working on the murder case too, you know. Why did you drag us into this Kiku thing? The guy just went crazy and ran away, right? The Heracles thing is probably a coincidence, now that I think about it…"

Arthur sighed and shook his head. Where on Earth did Alfred receive his education? He was always changing his mind and was always blurting things out at random. "The murder case is involved with those bloody assassins, The Comrades."

"What about the mafia? That Lovino Vargas is the boss, but we have yet to find any exact evidence, you know?"

"The Comrades. It has to be. They're sick bastards, all right. The mafia just does away with people that they need to have removed or that refuse to cooperate. The Comrades kill for money and they kill in sadistic ways. Remember the last time we found one of their victims? The guy was wrapped up like a Christmas gift and the ribbons were his intestines, but you know what I think, Alfred? Only one of them is that sadistic. The other bodies found were killed in a less insane manner, like being shot or hung, but once in a while, we find the fucked up ones. The guy that does those has the mind of a child. A cruel, insane child."

"Are you scared? I'm the hero, so I'll protect you."

Arthur snorted as he parked the car. "You solve one case and you declare yourself a hero. Then again, you worked alone on that case. Whatever, you sodding wanker. Just get your bloody paperwork done this week, got it?" They both got out of the car and walked towards their apartment building.

Alfred smirked and grabbed Arthur's wrist. He spun the Englishman around to face him, and the smirk grew wider—more sly and devious. "That's not my fault now, is it? You were the one that wanted me to do something different, remember?" Arthur turned beet red and yanked his wrist away from the American. "Idiot. Just shut up and give me those leads on the case, you git. You messed up again and blabbed that we're homosexual in front of Yao, so you don't get anything this week." Arthur frowned and hurried ahead of Alfred. Alfred chuckled and followed Arthur into the building.

* * *

"Hot damn, he's gay, Gilbo."

"How can you tell?"

"How can you not tell? They were so flirting and they totally have done it. Face it, man, Arthur is a gay detective."

"Shit. He's probably searching for us, isn't he? That bastard walks out on us, and now he's looking for us so he can put us in jail. I'll warn the others later. Anyways, where's my brother?"

"Ludwig? He's out with Feliciano. Those two are so gay for each other, man."

"What? No way. No fucking way. Ludwig is not gay at all, and you know it. Francis sure as hell is, but not Ludwig. Now, if you excuse me, I have to get going. Elizaveta is going to be pissed that I'm late, and it's your fucking fault, Mathias."

"Right. I'll keep an eye on Artie, then. As soon as he makes a move, I'll be sure to call you up, Gilbo."

"Good. I'm going to be the one to kill him for what he did to us back then."

* * *

**Edited chapter! ^_^' (sighs in relief). **

**A big thanks to my amazing Beta, CrescentLilly, for helping me edit this!  
**


	3. Chapter 2: Waver

**Song: Yurameki (Waver) by Dir en Grey  
**

_

* * *

Why did the two of us meet? what did I give to you?_  
_ If there's a chance we could meet again, I'll keep waiting until that time._  
_ I cannot return, I want to forget, one more time, more than ever before_  
_ Even my memories I want to forget, my heart that loved you is in pain_

* * *

Ivan moved around the pedestrians walking by him, avoiding physical contact as if they were all infected with a disgusting virus or disease. He was a monster. His heart was frozen over, just like his village from Russia. It did not beat for anyone or anything—except for the thrill of killing. Ivan had to admit that the only time his heart began to beat was when he was on an assignment, taking the life of someone that dared to step out of line or messed around with a client. His blood would rush, his breathing would quicken, and his heart would beat rapidly as screams and blood filled the air. Nothing was better than that feeling of ecstasy, and this was different than the ecstasy that Francis always babbled on about. It did not give him any sensual pleasure, but purpose. Everyone has something that they can live for, usually something like friends, family, dreams, and other trivial things that can be lost so easily. Ivan, however, lived for something that has been around since the beginning of time.

He lived to kill.

There was only one similarity between the ecstasy or the kill and sensual ecstasy—it never lasts as long as you want it to. You want to keep feeling it. You want it to keep on going and never stop, forever locking you in the amazing feeling and power. But it vanishes before you can even fully grasp it and understand it, so you pursue it yet again. And again. And again. Before long, you've felt it so much that you just need to have more, like a child will always want more sweets and toys.

Finally, Ivan reached his destination without making too much contact with the people around him. He stood in front of an old grey brick building, which looked just as out of place in the fancy and large city as Ivan. It was old fashioned, colorless, and scary looking. Gothic windows and arches gave it a mysterious air, as well as the spikes on top of the roof. Looking at the building, one would assume it as a funeral parlor or a hang out place for Goths. In reality, it was a flower shop. The best one in town, despite it's appearance and small size.

Ivan walked into the shop, inhaling the sweet scent of flowers the moment he stepped in. "Good morning, sir," the person at the counter chimed. Ivan simply nodded in response, and began strolling around the shop, looking at all the beautiful flower arrangements and bouquets. His favorite was the sunflower. It was just so bright and warm looking; it was almost like he had a small piece of the Sun to take with him. Of course, he could never take any home with him. No fucking way. The other Comrades would just laugh at the sight of their Golden Boy walking into the penthouse with a vase full of sunflowers. They could never understand the beauty of sunflowers, or any other flower. If only they had some kind of sunflowers with red on them… it would be a mixture between Ivan's favorite things—blood and sunflowers! That would be absolutely breathtaking…

"Oh, there he is! He comes in, like, every week, and never buys, like, a single item! You're new, so you give it a try!" Feliks, one of the employees, was trying to whisper but failed, and ended up alerting Ivan. Ivan glanced back to see Feliks speaking to someone that, he guessed, was the new guy. Wait—was that a guy? The new employee was thin, slender, and had the face of a girl. Even the hair was long like a girl's but it was pulled back into a ponytail. Chinese, definitely. The new person nodded and slowly made their way up to Ivan.

"H-Hello there, sir. My name is Yao, and I am new here. Can I help you find something to buy, aru?"

Okay, so it _was_ a guy.

Ivan shook his head. "No, I'm not interested in anything here." Lies. "Da, I just come in to see if this pathetic shop will actually get something that looks nice." More lies.

Yao cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "Are you, aru? You seemed fairly intrigued by the sunflowers we have. You look like you really want to buy one, aru. You don't need to be embarrassed. Guys buy flowers all the time, aru." This employee was bold. Ivan wanted to see him disappointed. He glanced over at the sunflowers and scowled in disgust, scrunching up his mouth a little as if he was trying not to vomit. Yao, on the other hand, thought it looked a little cute.

"They look horrible. I would never buy one of those ugly flowers. They look like little suns, da?"

Yao smiled a little as he glanced over at the flowers. "Well, they do look like little suns, but I think it's good that way." Ivan blinked in surprise. "It's almost as if they're small pieces of the sun, and they're radiating brightness and warmth. They make me feel so calm, aru."

Ivan was stunned. For this first time ever, someone thought the same way as him. This Yao loved sunflowers for the same reason. "Da," Ivan said quietly. He could feel his cheeks suddenly heat up as Yao's almond colored eyes locked with his for a brief moment.

"Well, I shouldn't pressure you to buy them, aru. Aiyah, and here I was hoping to make my first sale. But be warned, next time you come in, I'll be more experienced, and I'll make you buy something, aru!" Yao chuckled, grinning playfully. He turned around to leave but…

"Wait!"

Yao turned in surprise. "Sir?"

Ivan's eyes darted to the sunflowers. "I would like to buy one, and a vase for it too."

Yao was dumfounded and overjoyed at the same time. 'R-Really, aru? You'll buy one? But I thought you said they were ugly looking!"

Ivan chewed his lip nervously. "Well… I agree with what you said about them. Da, I wish to buy one." Ivan watched as Yao's face lit up with happiness, feeling a little tug at his heart. Ivan only thought that way about sunflowers because he was, well, depressed and angry. Was Yao possible the same? Did Yao hold hate? Did Yao live in a fog?

After he bought the sunflower and the vase, Ivan left, nodding a thanks to Yao without so much as another word. Yao was frozen in his mind, that smile and those innocent eyes cutting away at him. He hated it. He felt weird.

Back in the shop, Yao turned to Feliks and grinned. "See? My first customer was the one that could never be persuaded to buy things, aru!" Feliks pouted and crossed his arms in a girl-like manner. "No fair. It's because you're, like, cute. You look like a chick, and I'm so envious of those awesome eyes you have. They're, like, so pretty…."

Yao rolled his eyes. "Oh please, aru. I'm not a hooker or some sleaze. I just babbled a little about sunflowers, and he agreed with what I thought of them, so he bought one. Now, I'm going to take my break, aru."

Yao took off his store apron—the uniform he was required to wear against his will—and hurried outside. There, waiting for him, were the two detectives, Alfred and Arthur.

"Glad you're willing to chat with us again, Yao."

* * *

"Dude, what the fuck is that?"

Ivan was somehow expecting Gilbert to burst out in surprise, but he never expected him to be so chilled about it. "Sunflower. I saw some very nice ones at the flower shop in town, so I wanted to make our home look nice. It looks nice, da?" Ivan smiled sweetly, despite the dark cloud of anger rising inside of him as Gilbert made a face at the flower in the vase. _Fucking little twat,_ Ivan thought darkly, _Yao helped me pick it out. Don't insult. Don't insult. I will hurt you._

"Flowers are sissy to me. They're okay if you like, I just don't like them. Just put it in _your_ room, okay dude? My awesomeness might make the flower wither," Gilbert chuckled, flopping onto his back on the couch, turning the TV on. "Oh fucking hell yes, hockey!"

"I didn't know you liked hockey," Francis said as he entered the room, carrying a book with him. It was titled: _"Wild Heart"_, so it was probably some romance novel with a lot of sex in it. Well, it was Francis. Francis was a total pervert and flirt, even though he was going steady with a guy named Matthew Williams. It was amazing that Matthew put up with Francis' wild behavior. According to Ludwig, when Arthur Kirkland was part of their old assassin group, Francis loved to hit on Arthur every chance he got. Arthur, however, resented Francis and always beat him up. Ivan was glad that Francis never touched him…although it may have something to do with the fact that Ivan threatened to chew his arm off at any attempt. Mathias made a similar threat towards Francis. Mathias was out at the moment, probably hanging out with his siblings somewhere.

" Hockey is fucking hardcore, man. Mattie introduced it to me, and now I'm hooked. He also got me hooked on those fucking awesome pancakes he makes," Gilbert said, grinning. Francis' eyes sharpened. Ivan hurried out of the room to set up his sunflower and vase before any arguments occurred. It was obvious that there was _something_ going on between Gilbert and Matthew, but it wasn't clear. Gilbert was dating Elizaveta, and Matthew was dating Francis, so they're both taken. Why would the cheat on who they have?

Then again, Ivan didn't understand the ways of the human heart, other than bloodlust.

"Ivan, bought a flower, I see," Ludwig commented, nodding, as he walked towards the kitchen. Ivan nodded.

Yao was still in his mind. That one florist was starting to eat away at his mind, and Ivan was irritated as hell. Why did he feel so strange? Why did he want to see Yao again? Why did he even care about why Yao understood him? It made Ivan's head spin rapidly, like he was stuck on a merry-go-round.

…_..Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump….._

_What is this?_ Ivan thought wearily, placing a gloved hand over his heart, _My heart, it's beating, even though I'm not killing. Why?_

Ivan had made a decision then and there.

He was going to see this Yao again, and find out why the hell he was feeling like this.

* * *

"How did you know where I was, aru?"

They were all sitting at a park lunch table, drinking coffee and eating lunch they bought at a bakery.

Alfred grinned, sipping his cup of coffee. "Easy. We stopped by your house and asked Mei where you were. She told us you got a job at the flower shop two blocks away." After he first time they all met, Arthur and Alfred met with the family to discuss what their mission was and what they would need to do. Yong Soo and Yao agreed instantly, since it meant that it would reunite them with Kiku. Mei, on the other hand, was a little reluctant. _"Why should I let these two homo detectives pry into my life? Sure, I want to find Kiku, but I have rights to privacy!"_

"Oh, she didn't yell at all, aru? You must be getting on her good side already," Yao chuckled. "So, have you found anything about Kiku or Heracles yet?"

Arthur set his tea down and frowned. "We found a small, minor detail. It isn't much help or use, to be honest, but you might have some knowledge about it that may expand the detail to an actual clue or piece of evidence." He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his coat pocket, and then handed it to Yao, Yao set down his cup of green tea and picked up the item, slowly unfolding it. He gasped.

"W-Where did you find this!"

"We were looking through Kiku's room two days ago, like you said we could. Alfred found it in a small box under his bed. Why? Is it important?" Arthur asked sternly.

Yao grimly nodded, the picture shaking in his hands uneasily. "T-This is…. This is written in Greek. I can read Greek, because I took a multi-language course in college, aru. T-This is a…. a love letter to Kiku, from Heracles, aru! How could you two not look at this carefully!" Yao glared at the two startled detectives. Alfred looked sheepish suddenly. "Sorry, Iggy…."

"You sodding git! You told me that there was no need to look it over, because you already did and found nothing important! You're a fail detective, Alfred F. Jones! How the bloody fuck did you become a detective!" Arthur snapped, slapping his lover's arm. Alfred pouted and rubbed his stinging arm. "Hey, when things get really heated up, I'm like a Sherlock Holmes, Iggy."

"Excuse me for asking, aru, but what does Iggy mean?"

Arthur blushed. "Alfred calls me that because I'm from England… He's so childish, I swear I don't know if he really is his age," Arthur grumbled, sipping his tea. "Anyways, we must get going now. Shall we give you a ride back to your work? I'll look over the letter from Heracles and translate it fully, that was we can spot any hidden meanings or locations."

Yao nodded.

"Besides, we have to get working on another case of ours. It's a huge murder case. We're pretty busy guys," Alfred chuckled, wrapping an am around Arthur's shoulders. Arthur swatted his arm away immediately. "Yes, but that does not mean that we're slacking on Kiku's case. We'll find him. We'll meet you again next week."

Next week… Yao's mind suddenly went back to the man he met at the shop. Would he see him next week?

* * *

**I updated! I'm going to edit chapter one a little (not the prologue!), so you might want to re-read that. **

**In case you're going to ask why Ivan suddenly has a small crush on Yao, think about love at first sight. You know that feeling when you meet someone and you start talking about things, and suddenly you feel nervous and your heart beats quickly? That's what Ivan has, a case of Love at First Sight! Yao, on the other hand, isn't feeling it yet. **


	4. Chapter 3: Inconvenient Ideal

**Song: Inconvenient Ideal by Dir en Grey**

_

* * *

It disappears without even being able to let out a word _  
_ Was it freedom that we won? _  
_ Feeling the body temperature of my dream and I pray _  
_ Everything gets twisted _  
_ Deep into the red darkness _  
_ This life I hold high and proud.._

**

* * *

September XX, 2007  
****Evidence D of "Kiku Honda Case"**

**The following evidence is a letter from Suspect A—Heracles Karpusi—to our target of finding, Kiku Honda. It was found under our target's bed in a small box, untouched and not tampered with. The letter was written in Greek—it is assumed that Suspect A wrote to Kiku Honda in this language to make the letter unreadable to the other members of the household. The evidence has been translated as the following:**

_Last night, after I fed my cats and went to sleep, I dreamt of you, Kiku. I dreamt that you were by my side forever. I dreamt that we were happy and able to show our love without fear. It was so peaceful, Kiku. I wish that you could have shared the same dream as me last night, because I know that it would make you happy. I was extremely happy, and yet I was heartbroken at the same time. We can't be at peace together. We can't love each other without fear. I just can't take it anymore, Kiku. I know those guys are watching us, and I can bet that they're waiting for a chance to kill me. If only I knew what would happen two years ago, when I made that deal with them. I was stupid, Kiku. I didn't know you then, so I figured I had nothing to loose except for my own life. _

_I was wrong. _

_I met you months after that day, and everything changed. I looked forward to waking up, because I knew that I could see your face when I arrived at work. I started to hurry through things a little more, not by much, but I did. I wanted to show you that I could be as hardworking as you, so you would notice me. Did I need to try that hard? I guess not, since you came to me and confessed first. My heart nearly burst as your delicate lips spilled the words, "I love you." _

_Kiku, you are the breath to my life and the sun to my flowers. Without you, I'm dead. I'm dying Kiku, and it's not your fault. They'll get me sooner or later, and they'll get you if they discover you know about them. Please, Kiku, understand. I love you, but I can't risk endangering you. If you were to die…I can't even describe it. I don't want to describe it. So please, my love, stay away. _

_I will love you forever, even after I'm gone,_

_Heracles Karpusi_

XxX

**September XX, 2007  
****Evidence E of "Kiku Honda Case"**

**The following is a reply to the letter—Evidence D—from Suspect A, Heracles Karpusi. It was found in the abandoned apartment of Suspect A, kept behind the clock mounted on the wall. It is suspected that Suspect A left in a hurry, leaving the letter or forgetting about its location. This letter was written in Greek for the same reasons as Evidence D; however, this letter was written by target Kiku Honda. The letter has been translated as the following:**

_I have already dreamt that dream, and I have been dreaming it ever since the day you told me about your pursuers. You have told me to leave you countless times, and each time I have said no. Why do you think my answer will be different this time? No matter how many times you tell me to leave you for my own safety, I'll keep coming back to you, because that is how much I love you. Even if it means, death, I will love you. Forgive me for being so blunt, for I am not accustomed to such bold declarations of love and loyalty, but I do love you, Heracles. I don't want to live without seeing you. _

_Do you know why I love you? It is rather simple, really. I love you because of who you are. You always have a carefree expression on your face, and you're always so relaxed and confident in yourself. I could never be like that. I'm always so tense and worried about everything. You always speak what you think, and you never worry about trying to sound appealing to everyone. I always agree with the strongest spoken statement, no matter how ridiculous it is. _

_I remember the first time I began to notice that you were trying to impress me. Suddenly, you were always at my side, helping me and talking to me. I slowly realized what it meant; I nearly fainted from sheer joy. Yes, I was bold, for I was the one that confessed to you. But I just could not contain it anymore. I waited and waited for you to make the first move, but you were unsure about whether I would reject your or not. _

_I remember our first time in bed. It was purely amazing, I must admit, despite how embarrassed and nervous I was the entire time. We became one that night, Heracles, and I will never forget that. _

_After all that we've been through, I will not leave you. I have devised a plan, Heracles. I just cannot bear this any longer—your pain and fear as well as my own. I'll run away with you. Once again, I am being uncharacteristic, but desperate times do call for desperate measures. My siblings won't help me, though. They don't even like you as a person for reasons I myself do not know. I'll do whatever it takes. I'll have to do something to make them unable to find me…to stop me. I sound crazy, but my mind is rattled already by the events around us. Please, Heracles, forgive me if this all goes wrong. Hopefully, we can live together forever without fear or oppression. I will break away from my family—I will do something that will forever engrave my name in their hearts with hatred. _

_They will not find us, Heracles. We will be alright, so do not worry. _

_I will always love you, no matter what,_

_Honda, Kiku_

* * *

"I can't fucking believe this," Arthur breathed, clutching the papers tightly in his hands. He could feel his throat dry as he read Kiku's letter again, taking in the pure horror of it all once more. Beside him, Alfred, stared at the last paragraph of Kiku's letter, his eyes wide in shock. Kiku, the perfect and quiet sibling, had written this. Kiku, the kind and innocent sibling, had planned the brutal assault on his family members without hesitation, all so he could be with his lover.

"How are we going to show this to Yao? The guy really loves his brother, and he's going to be heartbroken—no; he's going to mentally _crack_ when he finds out that Kiku was planning on doing this for his lover. Man, how screwed up can someone be? Why practically massacre the people you've called family all your life?" Alfred laid back on the bed they were sitting on, resting his hands behind his head as a pillow. "Although, I got to admit, Arthur, that I would do something screwed up in order to be with you." He smiled at his lover, despite the flustered glare Arthur sent him in return. Arthur was never able to hide how he was feeling, and his glares weren't helping him at all. They only made it more obvious.

"Would you hush up?" Arthur turned back to the papers, chewing his lip. He felt like he was torn between two things—duty as a detective, and duty as a human being. His job required that all found evidence and possible leads were to be shown to witnesses and people that are familiar with suspects and targets, that way the case can be solved faster. But, as a human being, he could always keep the evidence away from Yao and try to find Kiku and Heracles without giving him the letters for any possible clues or viewpoints. Yao would be heartbroken and, as Alfred stated, cracked if he discovered this. Kiku was not the little brother everyone thought he was—a lover was more important to him than his own family.

"We have to show them to Yao, Iggy," Alfred said quietly, as if he had read Arthur's thoughts. "Not showing them to him will only make finding Kiku and Heracles harder. Besides, Yao might know who the people after Heracles are." The American sat up and kissed Arthur's cheek gently in an effort to relax him.

"I know, but can you imagine how him and his siblings will react? They're depressed enough as it is!"

"I know that, but we have to find Kiku and bring him back to them. I don't want to do it to them, Iggy, but we're going to have to in order to find Kiku."

"Damn it, why does our job have to be so…"

Alfred silenced Arthur with a firm hug. "Just shut up and let me cuddle with you," Alfred chuckled. Arthur frowned, but gave in to Alfred's tight grip around his waist.

A few moments later, the papers were on the floor of their hotel room, forgotten as the room became filled with the sounds of love and passion. By the time they both peaked, they had completely forgotten about the case, and the rest of the world itself.

* * *

"Good morning, my bitches!"

Mathias spat out his coffee, and then glared at Gilbert, who was currently standing at the kitchen door while wearing a cocky grin on his face. "Okay, dude, let me make this one thing clear, got it? _NEVER_ call me your bitch again. The mental images are just fucking scary," the Dane grumbled, returning his attention to his coffee. He absent-mindedly rubbed the bruise on his cheek, which had received from Gilbert last night when his spying was all done. Apparently, Elizaveta beat Gilbert for being late, so Gilbert decided to return the favor to Mathias.

"Ah, good morning, Gilbert! How was your sleep? Was it filled with pleasant thoughts about _moi?_" Francis said with a sleazy smile, sending Gilbert a sultry look. He was in a relationship, and yet he flirted with every single and attractive man or woman in sight. "As if," Gilbert scoffed, "I'd rather dream about being eating pancakes. Oh wait, I did dream about that…" Francis' eyes sharpened.

"I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Do not get near _mon cher_ Mattieu."

"What? I have every right to hang with Mattie! We're tight, dude! Relax, I won't fuck him when you're not around, if that's what you're thinking."

"Don't do _anything_ with him that might be intimate!"

"Well you're a walking mattress, so why the fuck are you so protective of him? You're having several affairs, you bastard, and Mattie will hurt if he knows!"

Ivan walked into the kitchen that morning to hear the bickering about Matthew once again. He frowned and rubbed his eyes, trying to make his vision clear once again. "Hm? You two really need to stop fighting so early. It makes me mad," Ivan grumbled, glaring at them though hazy eyes, "Why isn't Comrade Ludwig stopping the fighting? He always does, da?"

Mathias groaned and set down his mug of coffee. "Ludwig went out to hang with Feliciano. He says it's to keep the tensions between us and Feliciano's brother's mafia, but I can see through it." The Dane turned and smirked at Ivan, even daring to wink at the grumpy Russian.

Gilbert nearly grabbed Mathias for that gesture alone, but it was the comment that ticked him off the most. He reached across the table and grabbed Mathias by his hair, yanking him upwards to face him and his angered expression. "Do not insult my brother, damn it. Him and Feli are good friends, so don't imply anything about them, Mathias!" He released Mathias' hair and shoved him back into his seat, smirking at the baffled and pained expression Mathias now wore on his face. It gave Gilbert pride to see that he had caused pain—a similarity between him and Ivan.

"So, I bought a sunflower yesterday," Ivan piped up, smiling.

Everyone turned to him, blinking in surprise.

"What? ...Oh yes, oh! Now I remember. Um, yes, it is a lovely sunflower, _mon ami_," Francis chuckled lightly, a slight tremor in his voice. Ivan's smile didn't even weaken, even as the others nervously chuckled along with Francis, their hearts beating with fear. "I was thinking about buying a lot more," Ivan added, "That way, the one I have doesn't get lonely in that vase. That is a good idea, da?"

"Yeah, you go do that." Gilbert grabbed Mathias' mug of coffee and drank all the was left, ignoring the cry of protest from Mathias, and rushed out of the kitchen. "Anyways, I have a meeting with one of our supporters! That Toris bastard is becoming a pain in the ass. I'll tell him that I'll send you over to see him if he doesn't cough up that damn money."

Ivan felt like he was alone. They didn't undestand him, and they never would. He could take all the time in the world to pour out his heart to them, and they wouldn't understand a single bit of it. He was a monster. A monster that no one could ever understand. Ivan bit his lip and turned, leaving the kitchen for his bedroom. He viciously yanked open his closet and pulled out his clothes, and then yanked them on as quickly as he could. "Where are you going?" Francis called from the kitchen, only to be ignored.

_You don't understand me at all. I talk and no one listens. It's always about your fucking little problems about sex and alcohol. You only listen when it involves our business, and even then you order me around!_ Ivan brushed past Mathias and Francis, ignoring them. "Yo, where are you going?" "Mon cher, will you answer us? Hey!" _You don't understand me. You never will,_ Ivan thought angrily.

_Only one person seems to understand me..._

* * *

**I finished my science fair project, so I had time to update!**

**I changed the rating to M because there WILL be a lime scene between Ivan and Yao in future chapters, as well as other characters. So this will be my first smut-ish fic! (One that actually describes, anyways). **

**NEXT CHAPTER HAS FELICIANO, LOVINO, AND ANTONIO~! You'll get to see mafia!Lovino.**

**And please review. Adding it to alerts and favorites is great, but reviewing is even better!**


	5. Chapter 4: Dozing Green

**Song: Dozing Green by Dir en Grey**

**

* * *

**_The dark morning, echoing goodbye _  
_My slashed heart dances, and I question in vain _  
_ I just want to be alone right now _  
_A single season of spring, even the tearful neck and you crawling the earth _  
_Love Me _  
_Abandon Hope_

* * *

"Um, Gilbert, don't you think you've had enough?"

"Nonsense, dude! The more, the better! C'mon, another round here!" Gilbert shouted, waving an arm over his head to signal the bartender. The bartender rolled his eyes and, reluctantly, poured the Prussian another mug-full of beer.

Gilbert gulped down the mug of beer as soon as it was handed back to him, and then began to feel the pleasuring haze of the alcohol begin to settle in his mind. "Alz'right then! So…You gonna have the moneys by tomorrow?" Gilbert slurred, wiping a few stray drops of alcohol from his lips. He looked up at Toris through his now blurry eyes, and noticed that Toris was just staring into his small mug of beer, not even drinking it. Blasphemy! How could someone leave a delicious mug of beautiful beer untouched like that, especially when someone else bought it for you? Gilbert laughed and snatched the mug from Toris' hands, then poured the beer into his own mug. Toris flinched in surprise at the sudden action, but did not look offended at all.

"Why didn't ya' mention that ya' don't like to drink?"

Toris shrugged, a sheepish blush on his face. "Um, well, I didn't want to turn down your generous offer. Oh, and yes. I will have the money by tomorrow, so would you like me to drop it off, or will you pick it up?"

Gilbert's face flushed as he gulped down Toris' beer—he was definitely drunk now. "Of course I'll pick up that moneys! I'm so fuckin' awesome, ya' know? No 'n can be as fuckin' awesome as meh!" He wiped his wet lips with his arm, getting beer stains on his white shirt. "No n', 'cept Mattie! He's just as…awesome! Yeahs!" Gilbert nodded at his own statement, then began laughing out loud, which startled Toris. How could he still be able to think right, with all that beer in his system? Toris flinched as Gilbert's laughing mixed with loud hiccups, and he turned red as he realized that the other drinkers in the bar were sending them irritated scowls and glares. Oh dear…

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Good day," Toris sighed, patting the drunken man's back awkwardly. He grabbed his jacket and hurried out of the bar before Gilbert could make any drunken attempts to pull him back in—if he even noticed Toris was gone.

Gilbert didn't notice at all. He kept laughing and slamming his hand down on the counter, asking for more beer for him and Toris. "Sir, your friend already left. And you've had too many beers, so you better hush up and call someone that can take you home. You're wasted," the server growled irritably, snatching up the empty mugs. Gilbert blinked in surprise and turned to his left, only to see an empty stool. When did Toris leave? How long as he been here drinking? Gilbert, his mind still a bit hazed, looked at his wristwatch to check the time. "Oh, fuckin' hell! I gotta get home!" Gilbert grabbed a 50 dollar bill out of his pocket and smacked it onto the counter, then he rushed out of the bar, stumbling slightly.

"Fuck, I'm still drunk," Gilbert groaned, about 10 minutes later as he walked down the street. He had the feeling that a major hangover was going to take place in the morning, and he did not want to go through that, especially since they had a mission tomorrow. It was strange that he got this drunk in the afternoon…usually he got wasted at night. "Damn it, I wish Toris didn't go and ditch me. I should bitch slap that fucker tomorrow when I pick up the money. Maybe I'll bring Ivan with me, just to scare him shitless…" Gilbert smirked at the idea. Ivan loved to make people scream and cry out in fear and pain, that sadistic bastard. The idea of Toris freaking out would be satisfying indeed.

"Oh, you!" A familiar voice giggled flirtatiously.

Gilbert froze. "Elizaveta?" he whispered. Was she talking to him? Gilbert glanced around, searching for his girlfriend's face and her giddy smile. "Elizaveta?" He muttered in wonder, looking around. Finally, his eyes locked onto her body, sitting at a table outside of a small restaurant, giggling and smiling. What he saw made his blood run cold.

Elizaveta was with another man.

Gilbert was still a little drunk from earlier, but he knew that he was not seeing things or misunderstanding the situation. Elizaveta was smiling and giggling like a flirtatious schoolgirl, playing footsies with the man across from her. The man looked—wait. Gilbert's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized who exactly that man was. He saw him in some old photos laying around Elizaveta's apartment a few months ago, when they first got together. "Mein Gott," Gilbert breathed in disbelief. That was her _ex-husband_, Roderich. Was she getting back together with him, or was she just having an affair? It didn't matter how you looked at it—she was cheating on Gilbert. Gilbert gritted his teeth, pondering whether to go over there and beat the fucking hell out of that bastard or just go back to the bar and get even more drunk.

"Fuck this shit," Gilbert grumbled, hurrying away from the spot he stood at. "Who needs her? I don't need to be in a relationship. I can be fine on my own without Elizaveta, so she can go ahead and have her damn boyfriend." He absent-mindedly wiped at his eyes with his hand, not even noticing that his hand was now wet. He was not crying. Crying just was not awesome. He'd rather admit to jerking off than to crying—not that he's jerked off recently. _Damn it, now I feel like a fucking loser. I need to kill someone or something cool like that. Too bad our mission is tomorrow…_

"Gilbert? What are you doing here?"

Gilbert looked up to see that he had walked into a bookstore—he was probably to absorbed in his thoughts to even notice that he was walking around randomly. "Mattie? You work here?" Gilbert asked in surprise, noticing that the speaker was none other than Matthew. Matthew, wearing his bookstore employee badge and apron, nodded quietly, setting the small stack of books he was carrying on the counter beside him. "Yes, but why are you here? You don't like to read that much, do you?" Matthew chuckled quietly, a timid smile on his face. He placed a small sign on the counter beside the books that read: _New Releases_.

"What's that?"

"Oh, this? I-It's the new books that just came in. We always place some of the new books here on the counter, in case someone wants to buy one in addition to the ones they're already buying. …Is something wrong? You look sad."

Gilbert blushed a little, and shrugged. "Elizaveta is cheating on me," he mumbled quietly, "I saw her with her ex-husband, Roderich." Matthew's eyes widened. "What? She did? Oh, I'm sorry…" The Canadian looked down shyly, clearing embarrassed that he brought the subject up. "I feel really bad for you. But at least you're able to carry on. I don't think I can."

Gilbert blinked in curiosity. What did Matthew mean by that? Before Gilbert could even ask, it hit him. _Oh fucking shit,_ he thought, his mind starting to clear up from the alcohol. "Y-You knows about Francis…?" Gilbert managed to whisper, making it only possible for Matthew to hear him. Matthew glanced at Gilbert uneasily, his hands trembling a little.

"When haven't I known? H-He's always been like that, ever since I met him. I try not to think about it but… Well, when it's out of my mind, he starts flirting with someone on our dates. He's a total flirt, yes, but I just can't bring myself to leave him. And then sometimes, when he isn't flirting, he j-just gets up and leaves, saying that he has something to do for work, and it can't wait…"

Gilbert gulped. Okay then, so he had a part in ruining Matthew's relationship with Francis. But then again, how was he supposed to know that Francis was going to ditch him like that? And why was Francis even dating Matthew on the day of a mission anyways? "Is he taking you out tomorrow, Mattie?" Gilbert asked. Matthew nodded. "Well," Gilbert sighed, feeling awkward, "Don't go out. He has something to do for work tomorrow, so you might as well cancel before he does in the middle of it. That's weird, though, dude. He's French, so he should be acting romantic and sappy."

Matthew smiled. "Well, he flirts with a lot of people, so does that count for his French blood?"

Gilbert chuckled a little. "Hey, you know what, dude? I think we both need a little cheering up because our relationships suck. My place is going to be crowded, because Ludwig is bringing his friend over, so how about we go catch a movie after your work is all done?" Matthew blushed a little and said quietly, "But what if Francis…?"

"Screw that, Mattie! He's always dating people, so live up a little. We're not even dating, we're just going out as friends."

Matthew smiled a little. "In that case, how about we watch the movie at my place? I have all the Die Hard movies in HD."

"Fuck yes! Now you're talking, Mattie!"

* * *

"See that bastard right there, the tall one with the grey-looking hair?"

"Lovi, are you talking about that old man sitting on the park bench? You should respect your elders, you know."

"No, you dumbass! Not him! The one that's walking—he's wearing a scarf! See him?"

"Oh! Yes!"

Romano rolled his eyes and glared at his boyfriend. "I don't even know why I'm doing this. I'll be in deep trouble if the others find out I brought my boyfriend—a Spaniard—along. Me even having a boyfriend is enough to get me in huge trouble," he grumbled. As a member of the mafia, and as the boss of his mob, he had to set a good example for his guys. If they found out about this thing with Antonio, he was as good as dead.

Antonio smiled slightly as he watched Ivan walk down the street. "Don't worry, Lovi. I'm just here to help you spy on that Ivan fellow there, that's all. But he looks so friendly and cheerful, though!" Romano stared at Antonio in disbelief, as if Antonio has just said he still believed in Santa Claus—oh wait. He did. Romano face-palmed and shook his head, sighing in annoyance. Why did he even try? He felt like complete idiots surrounded him, and that any day now, he would become one of them.

"That is Ivan Braginski, you _pompinaio!_ He's the most fucked up guy in the Comrades, and he can kill someone like it's killing a fly! He's a sadistic monster! He is the reason why people are flocking to the Comrades instead of my Mafiosi! If we can take him out, or at least find out his weaknesses, we can get back our business," Romano snapped, nearly whacking Antonio upside the head. The Italian sighed and jerked his head in the direction that Ivan went, signaling Antonio to follow him. "He doesn't know us, so we'll be fine." Antonio nodded and followed his lover, feeling extremely happy that Romano was letting him come along on this vital mission. Maybe, if he was a big help, Romano would give him a kiss or two as a reward… That alone motivated the Spaniard. He followed Romano's lead as they silently walked a ways behind Ivan.

The two followed Ivan from a distance for a while, watching him stop at a coffee shop to grab a drink, watching him smile at the birds and flowers, and even took note of how he reacted to brushing against other people. "He looks…afraid," Antonio said quietly, watching Ivan's eyes dim as a few careless teenagers bumped against him. "Is he afraid of people outside his group?"

"Who knows? We're here to find out stuff about that _merda_."

Antonio cocked an eyebrow in surprise as Ivan stopped in front of an old building—it looked like some flower shop, judging by all the bouquets in the windows—and took a deep breath before entering.

"Just what is that bastard up to now…?"

* * *

The first thing Yao noticed when Ivan walked in was that Ivan looked nervous. Judging by the way he kept glancing at the floor, it had something to do with flowers once again. "Ah, welcome back, aru. Are you here to buy more flowers?" Yao asked brightly, smiling politely at Ivan. Ivan nodded quietly, glancing over towards the sunflowers. "Da. I'd like to buy more sunflowers. The one I bought looks lonely in the vase."

Yao blinked in surprise. "Sir…You really like sunflowers, don't you, aru?"

Ivan chewed his lip in slight embarrassment. "They make me feel happy. I like looking at them, since they're so bright. We never had anything bright in the village I grew up in…" It was true. Ivan could recall the very colors his life was back then—black, white, grey, and red. The only true color they had in the village was the delicious, fiery color of red. A jolt went up Ivan's spine for a moment as blood crossed his mind—it's redness superior to any other shade of red. Such beauty…such taste… blood was truly the superior color and taste. Now, what would sunflowers look like, drenched in blood? Would it be a powerful combination of beauty and warmth, or a twisted fusion of light and dark? Ivan mentally made a note to think about that during tomorrow's mission.

"Okay, so how many?"

"Hm?"

"How many, aru?"

"About eight, da?"

Yao lead Ivan over to where the sunflowers in the shop were, and picked out the brightest colored ones. "By the way," Yao added, "You never told me your name, sir. Is it alright if I ask you, aru?"

Ivan nodded, taking the flowers from Yao's hands delicately, as if Yao would break like glass at the slightest touch. "My name is Ivan Braginski. You're Yao, da?" Yao nodded in reply. "Thank you for yesterday, Yao. I really enjoyed waking up to the sunflower by my bed. It made me feel happy and warm inside, and not sad at all," Ivan lightly giggled. Yao blushed a little and nodded once again.

"You're welcome, aru."

Ivan went up to the counter and fished money out of his pocket, then paid for the flowers. "Thanks again, Yao. You are a very nice person!"

After Ivan had left, Yao sighed and went back to the employee's lounge in the back, where a giggling Feliks was waiting. "What the hell are you laughing about, aru? Tell me!" Yao snapped in embarrassment. His embarrassment rose as Feliks formed a heart using his hands—arching his fingers and making the tips touch, while the thumbs flexed and touched at the tips.

"Looks like someone is forming a relationship with a customer! Like, you're so lucky! That guy is always so scary, but he looks, like, cute when he's happy!" Feliks giggled, winking at Yao daringly. Yao's cheeks stung red. "Shut up, aru! I am not!"

_Ring~ Ring~_

Yao pulled out his cellphone, giving Feliks one last angry glare before answering it. "Hello?"

"Yao? This is Alfred. We need to talk. Meet us after your work is finished, we'll be at your apartment with your siblings."

* * *

**Translations: **

**_pompinaio -_ cocksucker**

**_merda - _shit**

**Gilbert got cheated on. That is purely horrible, because no one can cheat on the awesome Prussia! Well, you can already guess that "something" is going to happen between Gilbert and Matthew. No, not smut. **

**The next chapter will also include Ludwig and Feliciano. Sorry, I promised to include Feliciano in this chapter, but I'll save it for the next one. After the next chapter, you will get to read a murder scene, and the Ivan's vicious, savage side will be revealed. Yep, so don't go thinking Ivan is a cute guy in love! He's sadistic, just like everyone says. I'm already looking forward to writing up that murder scene, especially since I love watching the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni series. So expect something to that affect!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews are love!**


	6. Chapter 5: Drain Away

**Song: Drain Away by Dir en Grey**

**

* * *

**_I saw you, in the cold daybreak,_  
_ Still letting others control you, unable to do anything, _  
_ The tears trickling down your face, like flower petals._

* * *

The lovely thing about California was that, as hot and sunny as it was, the nights could be breezy and cool. The night was completely different than the day—it was almost like a different place altogether. Lights came alive in the darkness, friends—young and old—went out to eat and hang out, people laughed a little louder, cars crowded the streets, and music blasted from clubs. However, it all depends on where you live. Those that live in quiet, small towns or cities might not experience this transformation. Those that live in the crowded, large, and popular areas of large cities, such as San Francisco, are able to experience the night transformation. There was only one downside to the nightlife of these large, popular cities teeming with energy and music—the cold. The cold night air could be nothing more than a small chill, but it could also feel like a slap to the face. When you experience that kind of cold air, it would be best to huddle together with friends or run to the nearest shop to buy a cheap jacket.

Unfortunately for Ludwig, he was not comfortable with the nightlife of loud cities. To make it all worse, Feliciano was. Now he was stuck in a crowded coffee shop, sitting at a table, facing Feliciano while trying to hear his words over the loud chatter around them. "…Then my brother got really mad at Antonio, and started blushing and shouting at him. Ve, Antonio really had no idea what to do, so he just stood there and told Brother that his face looks like a tomato. Brother's face turned red, and it did look like a tomato! Mm-hm, it was so cute looking!" Feliciano giggled, pausing every so often to sip his warm coffee. Warm… Ludwig drank his coffee deeply, loving the warmth that spread as he swallowed it. Man, it was cold as death outside!

"So, Feliciano, has Lovino—er, I mean, your brother, gotten used to me yet? He doesn't really like it when we spend time together," Ludwig sighed. Last time he went to go pick up Feliciano so they could spend time together, Lovino started screeching at him in Italian, jabbing at his chest and pointing at Feliciano angrily. Feliciano later explained that Lovino did not think it was proper for a man to pick up another man to spend time together… That and Lovino thought Germans were low-life bastards that were the scum of the Earth. Apparently, Lovino once had a business agreement with a German, but the German ended up cheating him out of thousands of dollars. Ludwig rubbed his temples as Lovino's shrill threats in Italian began to echo in his mind again, mingling with the loud chatter and laughter coming from the people around them.

Feliciano laughed nervously. "N-No, not really. But he'll warm up to you soon, Ludwig! He's just very protective of me, that's all." The Italian sipped his coffee again, a small amount of disappointment etched onto her features. Ludwig blinked in surprise. "Is something wrong, Feliciano?" Ludwig asked. Feliciano looked up at him in surprise.

"No, nothing really… It's just that, well, I applied to an art school."

"That's great! What, did you not get in? Is it far away?"

Feliciano shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "W-Well, you see… It's nearby, so I can still see you all and stuff, so that isn't what's bothering me. And I did get in. It's just that… Brother doesn't want me to go. He's trying to get me to work in the family business, but I don't want to," he said quietly.

Ludwig felt a pang of pity for Feliciano. Feliciano's family has always been in the mafia business, even his ancestors had ties to the mafia, so it would make sense for Lovino to try and make Feliciano become a part of it. Feliciano never did anything to help Lovino and the other Mafiosi, so why did Lovino expect him to? Feliciano couldn't hurt anything that had feelings, and he couldn't even stand up for himself! He would be a horrible Mafiosi! Horrible! Ludwig frowned. "Feliciano, don't let him pressure you into it. If you don't want to become part of his 'business', then just tell him. He'll understand, right?" Ludwig knew about Feliciano and his family, and Feliciano knew about Ludwig. They only knew the secrets about the other because of business speaking, but that was all. Their relationship with each other did not group with their business with each other's group—it was personal. It was rather strange, though, that Feliciano would actually be calm around an assassin, especially since Feliciano was afraid of every member in Lovino's group. What made Ludwig so different? Ludwig shook that thought out of his head—it could wait for another time.

"I can't," Feliciano groaned. "He doesn't listen to me. Ve, he doesn't listen to anyone."

"You have to tell him. You'll just be unhappy," Ludwig pointed out. Feliciano pouted and shook his head. "No way! He'll be mad at me!" Ludwig rolled his eyes and tugged on the stray hair that curled away from the rest of Feliciano's hair, hoping to silence Feliciano's whining about the situation. To his satisfaction, Feliciano reddened and bit his lip, hushing up.

"Listen, Feliciano. You need to tell him. You need to fight for yourself, at least once, okay? Don't let people boss you around all the time! I can't stand to see you miserable like this!" Ludwig said sternly, releasing the curl. Feliciano released a deep breath, and looked up at Ludwig, a little surprised. "Ludwig…. I-."

"_BONJOUR~!_"

The moment was ruined as a familiarly annoying voice floated into the room, rising over all the other chatter and noises in the shop. "Francis," Ludwig grumbled in irritation, clearly frustrated that his conversation with Feliciano was interrupted. "One should not break into conversations like that, you wino," Ludwig grumbled as Francis, clad in another gaudy outfit, pulled up a chair and sat at their table. Feliciano didn't seem to be mad or irritated at all—he was delighted. "Francis! How are you doing?" The Italian asked giddily, smiling. Francis returned the smile and replied, "Fine, _mon cher_, just fine! I've been bored, since Gilbo is out somewhere and Mathias is hanging out with his brother and his boyfriend, Tino."

Ludwig blinked in surprise. "Berwald is dating Tino?"

Francis waved his hand, brushing off the topic easily. "Yes, yes. Now, Feli, tell me this: Are you getting along with Ludwig?" Ludwig turned bright red.

Feliciano nodded. "Mm-hm! A lot! We're really close!"

Francis smirked, glancing at Ludwig playfully. "Have you two ever done anything dirty before? If so, tell Big Brother Francis, so he can give you some advice about it, _non_?" Feliciano blinked in puzzlement, looking back and forth between Ludwig and Francis. "What do you mean?"

"Francis, I swear to God, shut up. Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Ludwig snapped, glaring at his comrade. Francis shook his head carelessly.

"Nope! And Mattie canceled our date for tomorrow, saying he'll be busy at work. It's fine, because we have that mission to do tomorrow. Besides, tonight I'll be hitting the club to find some nice ass to grab. But I'll go later. So, how about we talk about sex?"

"I said shut up!"

* * *

"Alright, on to the sequel?" Matthew asked, placing the first movie back in its case. He glanced back at Gilbert, sitting on the couch, and lifted up the case for the second movie. Gilbert nodded and grinned. "Yippie-Kay-Yay, mother fucker," he quoted, reaching for the bowl of popcorn that was resting on Matthew's spot on the couch. Matthew giggled and slipped the DVD into the DVD player, then got up to go sit in his spot again.

This was just amazing. He was having more fun than he's ever had on a date with Francis, and all he was doing with Gilbert was watching movies while chatting, and occasionally laughing at corny or witty remarks the actors made. "So, does Francis ever watch these movies with you? You're quiet and timid, but you're pretty awesome, especially in movie taste," Gilbert said, passing the bowl of popcorn to Matthew. Matthew flushed a little, shrugging.

"Not really," he sighed, "Francis likes to watch romantic movies with me, like _Casa Blanca_, or _Breakfast at Tiffany's._ Not that I mind, I like those movies a lot too…. It's just that, I don't know, I feel like I hardly know him. He's always so secretive, and he doesn't tell me anything about what he does. He told me that he's busy with work, but what is his work? I don't even know. He won't tell me when his birthday is, or where he'll be going when he's on business trips… It makes me mad. I… I feel like he doesn't want me to know anything about him." Matthew blushed in embarrassment, glancing at Gilbert uneasily. "But I guess that's because he's always with other people—men and women. He could be on business, or he could be out dating people that he's met in bars or clubs."

Gilbert gulped. Did Elizaveta feel the same way? Was that why she cheated on him—because he was too secretive around her? No, that couldn't be it. Gilbert didn't do what Francis did. Gilbert told her things, they were lies, but it was something. He made up a fake birthday and birthplace, he made up his job, and he even made up his family! Francis was going to get yelled at when Gilbert got back… that was for sure. "Hey, Mattie, don't let him get you down. He's really protective of you, and he does love you," Gilbert piped up. God, saying that felt like he was ripping out his own guts. It felt strange…almost sickening to hear out loud. Matthew looked up at him in surprise, then smiled.

"Oh dude, look," Gilbert chuckled, pointing at the screen. "Did you see how he owned that fucker? Priceless!" Matthew looked at the screen and giggled a little. "And look, Mattie, now he's going to fuck those two bastards up." Gilbert himself was surprised about how comfortable and happy he felt. He never was able to do this stuff with Elizaveta.

"Gilbert," Matthew interrupted, "You know how you said Francis really does love me?"

"Yeah…"

Matthew shifted uncomfortably in his spot, and glanced down at the floor. "…I don't think I want to love him anymore. I don't like what he does to me, and I… I just don't want to deal with him anymore. I-If he wants to flirt with every single, attractive person he sees, he doesn't need me. I'm glad we're best friends. It's great being able to spend time with you, Gilbert. You're the best."

Gilbert swallowed nervously. "R-Really?" Great, he was stuttering. Awesome people do not stutter like nervous people, especially when they were trying to be awesome around someone. He coughed a little and fought to make his voice strong. "So I guess we're both the single guys. We're still awesome, though." He nodded, ignoring the loud beating of his heart. _This would suck if Mattie can hear this. I must seem like a fucking dork_, he thought uneasily. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as Matthew scooted closer. _W-What is he doing…?_

"Sorry, just reaching for the remote to turn the volume up. The sounds go up and down on this TV," Matthew said, reaching for the remote that was resting by Gilbert's leg. Gilbert felt his face turn bright red.

_Mein Gott… This is so awkward! Mattie, stop being innocent and realize how awkward this looks and feels! _Gilbert felt his heart beat faster and faster, and suddenly, he snapped. He grabbed Matthew and pulled him into a kiss, the sounds of explosions and shouting in the movie becoming nothing more than soft sounds in the background. Would Matthew push him away? Scream and tell him to leave before he called the cops on him? Hit Gilbert and tell him to never talk to him again? Fear began to creep into his mind, but it melted away as Matthew started to kiss back. He pulled Matthew closer, not wanting to let go. Why couldn't Elizaveta be like Matthew? Why couldn't she want to kiss him? She was too busy playing around with Roderich, that's why. Gilbert pushed her out of his mind and focused on Matthew. Matthew was his now, and no one was going to take him away.

"Mattie… Love you…" Gilbert breathed, pulling away for air.

Matthew, breathing heavily, nodded. "Love you…love you, too."

From this day forward, he was Matthew Williams-sexual, and damn it, he was fucking proud of it. Francis and Elizaveta could say all they want, but they were yesterday's news. It was Matthew and him now, and there was nothing they could do about it.

* * *

"What is this about?" Mei asked, crossing her arms over chest. She impatiently glared at Alfred and Arthur, a suspicious gleam in her eyes. Yong Soo elbowed her. "Hey, chill, Mei! They're here to help us find Kiku," he muttered, still smiling teasingly. "Admit it, you're just acting tough!"

"I am not," she protested, pouting.

"Alright, alright, aru! Calm down!" Yao snapped at them. He turned his attention to Alfred and Arthur, nodding a silent apology. Eager to hear about the letters, he began chewing lips, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "So, what have you found out from the letters, aru?"

Arthur coughed uneasily, his eyes dimmed with melancholy. "Yao… I don't know how to say this but, well, Kiku and Heracles were lovers, as you already discovered in our previous meeting, but there's more to it. You see, some group or organization—probably a gang or a mob—was pursuing Heracles, and he did not want Kiku to get involved. However, Kiku didn't care, so he decided that he would run away with Heracles…" He paused as he noticed the hopeful expressions on the Asian siblings droop to a look of horror and disbelief. Yao's face looked the most hurt by the words.

"A-And…?" Mei asked, urging him on.

"Well, Kiku then d—."

Yao slammed his hands down on the kitchen table, cutting Arthur off. "Isn't it obvious, Mei? Isn't the answer obvious, aru!" Yao glared at the table angrily, directing all of his hate and rage at it. "Kiku thought Heracles was more important than us. He didn't give so much of a damn about us—he was more concerned about his lover! So he decided to make us hate him, aru. That way, we wouldn't want him back. That way, we wouldn't miss him. Why? Why did he even think that! Why…" Yao broke down into sobs, slamming his hands on the table angrily. "Why didn't he tell us what was happening, aru! Why!"

"Aniki!"

"Please calm down!"

"C-Calm down, Yao. Please, calm down," Alfred said uneasily.

Yao looked up at them, his eyes slightly red from crying. "Thank you for your help, aru. But we no longer require your services. Forget this case, aru. Just forget it, go work on that murder case you told me about. Please…Just stop working on this case."

"Aniki?" Mei and Yong Soo gasped in unison

Yao looked back at them. "We know what happened to Kiku, and we know he wanted to leave us. It wasn't some mental problem, and he wasn't told to do it or die. He did it because he wanted to do it, aru. He's fine, and we can get along without him. Thank you, Alfred, Arthur, for your work. Now please, please leave."

Before Alfred could protest, Arthur nodded and tugged on Alfred's sleeve. "Thank you, Yao. We are terribly sorry about everything to you all, and we hope that you will get along fine. Goodbye." Arthur then dragged Alfred out of the apartment building, despite Alfred's snaps of protest. "Iggy! What are you doing! We can't stop until we find Kiku, and you know it! That's one of our cases, and a hero never-!"

"Just shut up about this hero stuff, please! Yao filed a request for detectives on the case after it happened, and now he has nullified it. Our services are no longer required, Alfred," Arthur snapped, releasing him. Alfred frowned and shook his head. "But we can't just leave them like that! Finding Kiku would make them happy again, right?"

"Alfred, I don't think it would. Besides, I think I have a pretty good idea about who exactly was pursuing Heracles," Arthur said quietly, looking around nervously. "I think it might be the Comrades. They're like the mafia, in a way, and Heracles must have been forced into a deal. When he decided to break the deal…well, they must have decided to kill him. But their setbacks gave Heracles time to run away with Kiku. In other words, if we can solve who the Comrades are, we might be able to find Kiku."

Suddenly, Alfred's cell phone rang, breaking the nighttime silence of the street. He pulled it out and grinned, staring at the screen. "Well, well! Iggy, I think the first good thing since last night's activities showed up! Seriously, this day has been boring and sad, but not anymore! Guess who just got into a new relationship?"

"Who?"

"My brother, Matthew!"

* * *

**Wow, I've updated this a lot recently! Today has been boring, so I'm writing a lot. This is all for today. :P **

**Anyways, next chapter has the murder scene, where the Comrades carry out a mission. Yay! Sadistic-Murderer!Ivan comes to the story! And yay, Gilbert and Matthew are together! As you can guess, Francis is not going to be very happy... No limes yet. **

**Was this good? I'm writing too much and too fast, so I hope the quality hasn't gone down in this chapter. T_T **

**Oh, and those confused on the time in this story: Yao met Alfred and Arthur a week ago, and Ivan met Yao a day ago. This chapter takes place a day after Ivan met Yao, at night. In the last chapter, it was day. **

**Review please? **


	7. Chapter 6: Garbage

**Song: Garbage by Dir en Grey**

_

* * *

Ladies and gentlemen, time is over_  
_ Ladies and gentlemen, please die_

* * *

Finally, the next day came.

…It was the day of their new assignment.

Ivan licked his lips eagerly, his mind screaming out for the metallic taste of blood on his lips. His dead heart jumped to life once again—beating rapidly and loudly for murder. Oh, how he wanted this. He wanted this so badly. Like a hungry predator, Ivan started flexing his fingers, preparing himself for the main event.

That morning, around 11:45, Mathias drove off in their Chevy truck—the one used for their business—and went off to capture their target. That was Mathias' job. He was the retriever, since he was the best at lying and making excuses while sounding innocent. If Ivan were to be the retriever, he would simply grab the person and shove them into the car, no questions asked. That would lead to problems, of course. And since Francis was too friendly, Gilbert was too persistent, and Ludwig was a horrible liar, it fell upon Mathias to do the job.

Once Mathias would arrive, Ludwig would have a few final words with their assigned target. He would explain to the target their sins and who had decided to have them killed in the end. To Ivan, it was just as entertaining as killing. Watching the person squirm in fear and desperation, knowing that their final moments were to be nothing but scolding from the ones that would kill them. If Ludwig was in a good mood, he would ask the person if they wished to repent for their actions, and said a few final blessings and such. If Ludwig was in a foul mood, however, the person would receive angry shouts and curses in both English and German.

Francis would then take over, taking the person out from the car's trunk and dragging them down the hall into the "business room", which was nothing more than a grey room with a single door that was always guarded on the outside by Ludwig. Francis would then untie the person and toy with them—comforting them and giving them wine. It was always fun to watch them think that they were actually being pranked, and that all this talk about death and past sins was all part of it. Francis didn't really do anything in the organization except for toy with them and find clients.

Finally, Ivan and Gilbert would come in, locking the door behind them and descending upon the sinner. They would kill the person in whichever way they wanted, then put the person in a box or a bag. Later, they would either dispose of the body in some way or tease the police by placing the body somewhere around the city during night. They never left any clues or evidence—it was the perfect structure.

The great thing about their group was that they were like heroes, in a way. They killed those that had wronged others. They killed those that were sinners that deserved death. Now, the idea might sound strange to some, for they would think that this method must hurt business badly. But there are many sinners in the world, and there are plenty in California that could be dealt with.

"There he is," Francis sighed.

The garage's vehicle door slowly opened up, and Mathias drove in, grinning. "Have no fear, Mathias is here. I got the son of a bitch in the trunk, all tied up and ready to go." Mathias quickly got out of the truck and made his way to the trunk, still grinning. "I found the fucking bastard trying to pick up some prostitutes. This guy's scamming days are over, for sure."

"Bruder still isn't here, though. We can't just start without him! We should wait."

Ivan's eyes darkened. "Wait?" he repeated icily. "Wait? We've been waiting for almost an hour to ice this bastard, and now you want us to wait some more? It's Gilbert's own fault for being late, and if he misses out, that's just too bad. Let's just start, hmm?" Ivan's heart was beating rapidly, eager to feel the ecstasy of the kill. Damn it, he couldn't wait for Gilbert! Fuck him! Ivan chewed his lower lip, his eyes nearly drilling a hole into the trunk of the truck. "Come on…"

Francis chuckled nervously, breaking the silence, except for the occasional thumping noise of their target thrashing about in the trunk. "Well, Ivan does have a point. Come, Ludwig, get started already. I wish to visit _mon cher_ Mattieu once this is all finished up, so please hurry. My sexual urges are increasing with each passing minute!" With a dramatic sigh, Francis placed a hand over his heart and backed away from the trunk, standing beside Ivan to wait. "I am serious, Ludwig. Hurry up before I leave without doing my job, okay? I seriously need to get rid of this sexual frustration—if I can't get to Mattieu soon enough, I'll just swing by a club and get some hooker to-!"

Ludwig cut him off with a loud cough. "Alright, I get the picture, Francis. I will hurry."

And with that, he opened up the trunk, staring down grimly at their assigned victim.

* * *

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Ivan giggled, a small smile forming on his lips as he approached the tied up man sitting on the floor. The portly man looked up at him through hazy eyes, a tipsy smile plastered onto his chubby face. "Ah, so you must be the new plumber!" The man's hiccups blended in with his words. "My sink is spurting water like a…a fountain! You must fix it before my house becomes nothing more than a swimming pool! I see you already have a pipe in your hand, so do-!"

He was silenced as Ivan kicked him over viciously in order to shut him up.

"You disgusting pig," Ivan snarled. "You're nothing more than a drunk slob. Why can't you just shut up?"

"But my sink does need fixing!" The drunken man protested, laughing as the alcohol spoke for him. "Would you like to live in a house filled with water?"

Ivan's frown deepened and deepened, the man's irritating voice like fingernails being scraped against a chalkboard. Pure rage and resentment gleamed in his eyes, and he glared angrily at the drunken bastard until something in him snapped.

He raised the tool he brought with him—an old pipe that he was quite fond of using for his gruesome tasks, and smashed it against the man's head, pleased with the sudden cry of agony that filled the air. His heart was beating quickly, and a feeling of fulfillment filled him as he repeated the action, smashing the man's face and chest to nothing more than a bloody mess. Blood splattered onto the floors, the walls, and onto Ivan. It was delicious. It was pleasure. It was _heaven…_but it wasn't. Pure anger filled Ivan. The man didn't look horrified and pained when he was still alive, as he was now dead. The sinner was too drunk to realize he was being killed, and so his eyes were not filled with the fear that Ivan desired. Frustrated, Ivan brought the pipe down harder, grunting and growling with each time the pipe ripped at the body.

That damn Francis took it away…

No, it didn't matter, did it? He was still taking away a life; he was still feeling the ecstasy of the kill. Ivan's thoughts became nothing more than sadistic phrases of happiness, _Yes, yes, yes, yes…_His cracked, dark, and insane mind could think of nothing more than his task.

Finally, after a few moments of nothing but smashing and dark laughter, Ivan dropped the pipe to his feet and stared down at his work, smiling in satisfaction at the results. It was beautiful. It was more beautiful than sunflowers and warmth—it was death. The Russian's eyes swept over the corpse of the stocky man, a purr of amusement escaping him as he admired his work—not his best, but just as good. The man's body was so damaged that it would be impossible to identify who he was just by looking at him. Muscles and bones were exposed, and blood flowed out smoothly. His grotesquely smashed body was being held together—barely—by the still connected bones and rips of flesh.

Ivan knelt to the floor beside the body and dug around in his brown coat's pocket, searching. He pulled out a small glass bottle containing the golden petals of sunflowers—a small bottle of warmth and light. With a cheerful smile and a soft giggle, Ivan poured the petals over one of the separate pools of blood, watching as the red liquid washed over the petals, creating the most beautiful of sights.

* * *

"I keep telling you, Mattie, that you don't need to be sorry! I overslept. That was my fault, not yours. Besides, I'm sure the others handled the…the meeting anyways."

Matthew pouted. "But I should have woken up earlier. You told me about this meeting last night, and I forgot about it. I am sorry," he said timidly, looking down at his hands in shame. He looked back up at his lover, waiting for a shout of anger or irritation, but received none.

"Goddamn it, Mattie. Just listen. I was the one that decided to fuck you dry last night, not you. It's my fault we were so tired and unable to wake up before noon, so relax! Besides, even the Awesome Me forgot about it, so chill out. Just sit back and cuddle with me, will you?" Before Matthew could say anything to counter his argument, Gilbert pulled him into his arms on the couch, adjusting his position so Matthew rested against his chest warmly. "See? Snuggling is more awesome than worrying about shit that's already happened. Like I said, the others took care of it." Matthew blushed and nodded, unable to speak.

Why did Gilbert have the amazing ability to silence him with once action? A simple touch or stroke was powerful enough to plug up Matthew's mouth and silence him until the warm feeling of Gilbert's touch faded, and in the end, he would always want to feel more even if it did mean being silenced. It didn't matter. They didn't need words to express how they felt or what they wanted—their movements and gestures were more than enough. Matthew closed his eyes and became comfortable in the position, relaxing fully in his lover's arms. Gilbert, sensing this, purred in satisfaction, and brought up his right hand to ruffle his lover's soft hair. "We have got to be the most awesome couple in the world right now, Mattie. Our ex-lovers can go screw themselves for all we care, right?"

"Right," Matthew agreed, humming softly.

* * *

"So, what do we do with the body? You fucking reduced it to a blood pulp, Ivan. Jeez, how did this dude piss you off now? Did he make fun of yo or something?"

"No, Comrade Mathias," Ivan glared pointedly at Francis. "_Someone_ got him too drunk on wine, and he was acting like a drunken pig. He irritated me, so I took out my frustration on him. Da, that is correct." Ivan wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned sheepishly. "But you are right, I did overdo it a bit, da?"

Ludwig rubbed his temples. "Listen, I don't care how you do it, but just clean it up. If Bruder comes and sees this mess, he's going to start complaining about missing out on the action." The German sighed and left the bloodied room, grumbling under his breath.

Mathias turned to Ivan and cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Alright then, so what should we do? Put him in the garbage dump? Throw him into the sewers? Bury him? Tell me what we should do, that way I can get back to playing God of War." Ivan frowned at him in frustration, clearly not satisfied with that excuse for hurrying. Didn't Mathias want to have fun? Didn't he want to do something extreme? Ivan turned his attention back to the corpse at his feet, scrunching his nose in disgust at the revolting stench. While killing people was fun, dealing with the smell was another story. If they left it out too long, it stunk up the entire second floor, and sometimes floated down to the kitchen on the first floor. Eating to the smell of rotten corpses was not appetizing at all.

"Hmm, I have an idea... But first, let me do something." Ivan reached down and plucked the bloodied petals he had left earlier, carefully placing them back in their glass bottle, a small smile om his face. Mathias watched, a disgusted look filling his eyes as Ivan's face lit up with every bloodied petal he touched. Ivan was acting as if he was picking candy out of a barrel, and he just wanted more and more of it. Finally, Ivan picked up all the petals, still soaked in blood, and showed the bottle containing them to Mathias.

_"Isn't it beautiful?"_

* * *

"Lovi! Lovi! You have a huge problem on your hands!" Antonio ran into Lovino's office, shouting this repeatedly as a panicked look took over his eyes. Usually, Lovino would yell at him to get out and not burst in like a complete dumbass, but this news erased all irritation in the Italian's mind.

"What kind of problem? Stop freaking out and tell me, damn it, so I can deal with it!"

Antonio took a deep breath, swallowing his frantic gasps and whimpers. He sighed and looked up at Lovino, his eyes darkening seriously and his lips forming a tight, worried line. "Lovi," he said steadily, "Turn on the TV, quickly. _Tù està en problemas!_" At those words, Lovino hurried out of his office and made his way to his living room, quickly yet clumsily grabbing the remote and turned the TV on, chewing his lips nervously as he flipped onto the news.

Antonio caught up with him and stood beside him, a grim look etched onto his face as he stared at the TV with Lovino, unsure of what to say. Lovino stood there, frozen in horror, watching the images and the reporters flash by on the screen rapidly.

"_The time is now 7:36 P.M., and we are here, LIVE, with the police as they attempt to investigate yet another murder case. The victim has been identified only a few moments ago as Johnny Bombacci, a suspected mobster and smuggler. The body was found an hour ago by a couple strolling through the park. The body of Johnny Bombacci was found afloat in the park fountain, brutally smashed apart and cut up. It has been confirmed that the park was not the place where the victim was murdered, but the place where the murderers left him for the public to find. It is suspected that this is either an 'inside job' from the mafia or another murder committed by the group The Comrades, who have been plaguing the city for at least five years…"_

Lovino turned off the TV. "Oh my God," he choked out, falling to his knees. "T-Those bastards killed Johnny. Why him? He was a good guy! He always got the job done right, and he loved his friends… Why did they…?" Lovino cried out in frustration and punched the ground. He looked up at Antonio, who was looking down at him, unsure of what to do. "L-Lovi…What are you going to do?" Antonio asked shakily.

"What else can I do? First, I'm going to make sure Feli doesn't talk to that shitty bastard, Ludwig, ever again. Second, I'm going to fucking murder that goddamn Ivan!"

* * *

**Fail attempt at writing horror... Was it good enough? I felt a little queasy when I was writing it, because I suddenly thought of it being non-anime murder… Ugh, it was not pretty looking in my mind. Anyone fine it ironic that both Ivan and Rena (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) have been seen with lead pipes. Although Rena's weapon of choice is a cleaver, I still thought of her when writing this murder scene.**

**Was this good? Bad? *whimpers***

**Review please?**


	8. Chapter 7: Amber

**In case you haven't noticed, each chapter's title is a song by Dir en Grey that kind of fits the mood and events of the chapter. Can you help me out by recommending some more songs to me? Thank you!**

**Song: Amber**

**

* * *

**_The spring breeze makes the uneasy sound as my dreams _  
_ crumble and my future breaks. _  
_ I have no more..._

* * *

The sunflower petals were shriveled up and dry, tainted with the color of the blood they were soaked in only days ago. The sunlight streaming through the window was the only way that the petals appeared to have any kind of light or warmth…_ They lie_. They were lying to him! There they sat in their bottle, clinging selfishly to their place in the world, not caring about how they were deceivers and liars! Once this thought came crashing through Ivan's mind, the blood soaked petals no longer held any beauty or attraction—they were just disgusting old petals soaked in a bastard's blood.

Without so much as a sigh, Ivan plucked the bottle from his bedside table and walked over to the wastebasket by his desk, where he dropped the bottle in without even hesitating. The glass bottle shattered in the bin, but Ivan didn't give a damn about that. The beauty was gone, no longer holding any value.

_I need light. It's dark…it's too dark. I'm cold. I need light. _

He glanced briefly down at the broken bottle again before turning around and walking out of his room, a blank smile plastered onto his face. "Gil, I'm going to go out for a bit," he called cheerily as he walked past the living room and towards the front door. Gilbert, who was lounging lazily on the couch, raised a hand in the air and waved lazily. "Yeah, yeah! Make sure you don't get lost or something!" The Prussian dropped his hand back across his lap and turned his attention back to the television, forgetting about Ivan and his words. "You're one to talk," Ludwig grumbled as he entered the room. He glared at his brother.

"Dude, what's with that look?"

"Well, let's retrace our steps, shall we? A few days ago, you were absent during the assignment! Do you know how troubled I was? I kept thinking that you were drunk on the streets somewhere!"

Gilbert sat up and glared back at his brother. "Hey, at least I have the balls to go out and have fun! The only time you ever do that stuff is when you hang out with Feli!" He paused and tilted his head slightly. "Oh yeah, you heading out with him tomorrow?"

"Yeah..."

Ivan, not really caring about the situation, left before Ludwig into detail about his plans with Feliciano. Ludwig and Feliciano were definitely going to end up together—even Ivan could feel it coming. Yet, somehow, Ludwig managed to remain oblivious to what was going on…and Feliciano was probably too dumb to notice it. Ivan shut the door behind him and reached up to tug his scarf up over his chin and mouth. He then set out down the street, not really knowing where he was going. For some reason, after he had beat the shit out of their target, he was feeling depressed. Why was that? The rush of the kill was the one thing that drove him on; the one thing that motivated him to live for the next day. If that was lost, what did he have? Why was the thrill and joy gone?

…_Maybe I'm not meant to have any happiness._

That was probably the answer. After all, he was nobody. The fact that he even found a glimmer of happiness in his life was a miracle, but it wasn't meant to last. The murder was so thrilling and pleasurable when he carried it out but now…now he was just frustrated. Wasn't it enough? Why did he have to suffer so much while bastards like their targets got to live happily with their sins? …Was there ever a time when he truly felt happy? Ivan closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head softly. No, those days were gone. He had made sure of it. With his hands, he had become an artist of his family's fate—he took his brush and painted them the most beautiful shade of red.

He ran a hand over his face as he walked, avoiding contact with the people around him as he usually did. The Russian groaned, feeling a headache begin. All of that deep thinking was making his head hurt…he wasn't cut out for that kind of shit. With a soft sigh, he closed his eyes for a brief moment and—"Aiyah!" The next thing Ivan knew, he had fallen over and was sitting on the pavement, dumbstruck and wondering what had just happened. Did he just walk into someone?

"Ah! I'm so sorry, aru!"

Wait. He knew that voice. Ivan looked over to see whom he had bumped into and, sure enough, it was that florist named Yao. Yao had also fallen over onto the ground, and was currently trying to gather the groceries he had dropped.

"I'm so sorr—Ivan? You're Ivan, right, aru?"

Ivan was at a loss for words, and it was no because he was embarrassed and was starting to feel strange again. Yao looked…different. His brown eyes that were once bright and somewhat cheery were dull and lifeless, there were small bags under his eyes, his lips were chapped as somewhat bruised, his hair was no longer tied back in a ponytail but flowing loosely to his shoulders, he was skinnier, and his complexion was even paler than it was before. If one were to glance at Yao from the corner of their eyes, they would probably guess he was a woman that either worked too hard or was very ill. He looked absent—almost as if he was walking on the very edge of existence. "I'm sorry for bumping into you, aru. I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking," Yao replied, smiling weakly. Even his voice, the voice that used to sound like music, sounded weak and strained. He picked up the last of his items and placed it back into his shopping bag, and then he stood up and extended a hand for Ivan to take. Without hesitating, Ivan reached out and pulled himself up.

"Thanks…"

"Again, I apologize. Well, I must get going, aru…"

"Wait!" Ivan was surprised to hear his voice cry out like that. What was he doing? Obviously, Yao was in a hurry, so why was he trying to stop him from leaving? Why did he even care if Yao looked so tired and unhealthy? "You don't look very well… Are you alright?" His voice also sounded a bit strained. _…Why? What's wrong with me?_

Yao blinked in surprise and smiled weakly. "Don't worry about me. I'm just tired from working too much, aru."

"Working too much at the flower shop?"

"Ah… I don't work there anymore, actually. I quit a few days ago. …I just didn't really want to work there…" He chewed his chapped lips and tightened his grip on his bag, almost as if he was in pain. Ivan frowned slightly. That flower shop was probably the greatest place in the entire city, and he'd give anything to work there. Yao loved working there, too… Something must have happened to make him change his mind. _That would explain why he looks so sad,_ a little voice in the back of Ivan's head echoed.

"So what do you do now?"

"…I work in a restaurant. I'm a pretty good cook, aru. Still, it's a lot different than the flower shop…" He sounded pained again. _He misses it there,_ the voice in Ivan's head whispered. _He misses the flowers and the warmth. He needs it. Something is wrong. Something is not right._

Ivan suddenly reached out and grabbed Yao's wrist. "Come with me, da?" Without waiting for an answer, Ivan began to pull Yao down the street with him. "A-Aiyah! Ivan, where are you taking me…?" Clutching his grocery bag with his other hand, Yao gulped and reluctantly allowed the Russian to drag him down the street. "Ivan, can you tell me where we're going, aru?"

"We're here~!" Ivan suddenly said cheerily, releasing his grip on Yao. He tilted his head slightly in the direction of what he was talking about. Yao, blinking with confusion, looked behind Ivan to see what he was… "Oh." It was the flower shop where they met. "Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, aru, but why did you drag me here for?" Yao asked, still confused. He looked at Ivan for answers, only to see that Ivan was entering the building.

"Just wait there, da?"

"A-Alright, aru…" Yao somehow felt his cheeks heat up slightly.

Seeing that Ivan was probably going to take a few minutes, Yao turned and sat down on the wooden bench by the window. He placed his bag by his side and, after making sure it wouldn't fall over and spill everything again, sighed and leaned back against the grey brick of the old building. He hardly knew Ivan, and Ivan hardly knew him, so why was Ivan acting so comfortable around him? The Asian sighed and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind his ear. He had to admit that he did look rather ill, but it wasn't his new job that caused it. …It was all the grief and anger about what Kiku had done. Yao took a deep breath and shook his head, frowning. _I can't keep thinking about that! I have to…to move on. Kiku was never my real brother, anyway. I shouldn't be so attached to him,_ he thought.

"Yao?"

"Yes?" Yao responded automatically, looking up. Ivan stood in front of him, holding a large, bright, and healthy sunflower in his gloved hands. Ivan's lips twitched slightly as he tried, _tried_, to make a small smile appear on his lips. _The only smiles I make are ones that make people beg for mercy_, he thought with a mental groan of irritation. Ivan shrugged it off and held out the sunflower to Yao, beckoning for the Asian to reach out and take it into his fragile hands. "Go on, Yao~ Take it! I bought it for you."

Ivan chuckled as Yao blushed lightly. "W-Why did you do that, aru?" He reached out hesitantly and took the sunflower from Ivan's hands, his fingers briefly brushing over Ivan's. A sudden rush shot through Ivan at that brief moment. Why was his heart beating so fast? Why was he trembling lightly? His fingers twitched slightly as the flower was removed from his hands, and he quickly drew his arms back to his sides. "Ivan, why did you buy this for me, aru? Thank you, but…" Yao sounded uncertain and confused. "…Why, aru?"

Ivan sat down on the bench next to Yao, his heart beating rapidly. "Remember what you told me about sunflowers? You told me that they're like little suns that bring everyone some warmth and happiness, and then you said that they made you happy…" He paused to make sure his voice wasn't getting strained or anything. "…They made me happy. Even though I was really sad, the sunflowers made me really happy. Yao, you're not happy. You look like you want to die. So, I bought you a sunflower, and it will make you happy, da?" He smiled timidly, waiting for Yao's reaction. _I want you to be happy. Are you just like me? Are you alone in this miserable world as well? _

"…Thank you, Ivan." Yao looked at Ivan, his eyes watering slightly. "That means a lot, aru. We don't know each other very well but…but you're still comforting me." He smiled softly, his eyes focused on the sunflower he was holding. "…I think this sunflower will do me some good, and I think I should go back to the flower shop soon, aru." It looked as if the color was returning to his face slowly.

Ivan nodded, feeling a little too warm, and stood up to leave. "Aha…Well, bye-bye~!"

"Wait, aru."

"Hm?"

"…Maybe we can hang out tomorrow, aru? I'm free around 2 o'clock in the afternoon."

* * *

"…What did you say?"

Lovino growled in frustration, giving his younger brother a pointed look. "You heard what I said, Feli. You're not going out with that fucking bastard, Ludwig, ever again. He and his friends have gone too damn far this time! They killed one of my guys! If you ever see him again, you either walk away or kill him, you got it?"

"They probably didn't know, _Fratello_! They carry out assignments by what their clients tell them, so they couldn't have known! I can even ask Ludwig, and he'll tell me! Ludwig is a good person! I l—!" Feliciano slapped a hand over his mouth, looking at Lovino with terrified eyes. Lovino was a homosexual, but for some reason, he didn't want Feliciano to be that way as well. Feliciano had always been picked on, and he still was by a lot of people that he didn't even know. Lovino's biggest fear was that Feliciano would face even more insults and sneers if he became a homosexual as well—no one ever dared to insult Lovino, after all. Lovino would shoot anyone that made fun of his relationship with Antonio.

Lovino stared at Feliciano with wide eyes, his lips slightly parted as if he was trying to figure out what to say. "…What were you about to say?"

Feliciano gulped nervously. "I was saying… I was saying…" His fingers trembled as they gripped the sides of his chair uneasily. "…I…I…"

_"You have to tell him. You'll just be unhappy!"_

_"Listen, Feliciano. You need to tell him. You need to fight for yourself, at least once, okay? Don't let people boss you around all the time! I can't stand to see you miserable like this!"_

Feliciano bit his lip, Ludwig's words echoing through his mind. Ludwig was right. He was an adult now, and Lovino had no say in what he could or couldn't do. If Lovino wanted to boss him around, why let him? He wasn't his father! Feliciano clenched his fists, a frown forming on his usually gentle face. "…I love him. I love him, and you can't do anything about it, _Fratello_! I'm not a child anymore—I can live the way I want!" He looked up at his brother, only to see Lovino looking at him in awe. "And another thing," he added with a bit more courage, "I'm not joining the family business! I don't want to be a part of this Mafia stuff! I'm going to a university that specializes in art and cooking!"

He then stood up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Lovino sat at his desk in disbelief, his eyes still wide with shock and locked onto the door Feliciano exited from. "…F-Feli…?" Was that really his younger brother just now? Was Feliciano seriously…in love with that bastard? "Hey, Feli, _wait!_" Lovino shouted, rushing out of his seat and out the door. "You didn't mean all that, right?"

"Leave me alone!" Feliciano shouted back, exiting the house. "I'm going out with Ludwig tomorrow, and I'm going to tell him! I'll tell him that I love him!"

"_WHAT?_"

* * *

Gilbert and Mathias sat at the kitchen table, bottles of beer in their hands and empty bottles scattered about on the floor. Mathias smirked and gulped down more of the alcohol from his bottle, savoring the bitter flavor as it made contact with his tongue. "All right, fucker, you betta' spill," he slurred, pointing at Gilbert as if he was accusing him of a crime. "You betta' tell meh what you was really doin' while we'z were doin' da assignman…"

Gilbert grinned, equally drunk, and slammed his hands on the table. "Why's you wonderin'?"

"'Cause you were probably out fuckin' someone or getting drunk as hell!" Mathias replied with a drunken smirk. "I'd probably be out tryin' to find me a girlfriend or whatev'!"

Gilbert laughed and nodded, even though he wasn't sure about what his friend had just said. What did it matter? They were both drunk, and most of what they were saying was going to be lost as they recovered from the alcohol in their system. Why not admit the truth? He took another deep drink from his bottle before slamming it back onto the table, still smirking. "You really wanna' know, dude?" Mathias nodded, his face flushed from the alcohol.

"Me and Mattie hooked up a da day before da assignment! We'z were tired of takin' crap from our lovers…so we totally comforted each other and we wound up fallin' in love and all that! Mattie is amazin', he's just a little angle…Ah mean angel…" He paused and hiccupped. "Yup! Then we had some awesome sex n' stuff after a while…and that was why I was gone!" Gilbert grinned and waited for Mathias to respond to his drunken confession, only to blink in surprise as Mathias stared at him in disbelief.

"Dude, you are fuckin' dead," Mathias said quietly, wiping a few drops of beer away from his lower lip. He stood up, kicked a few bottles on the floor gently, then staggered to his room to recover from the alcohol. What was his problem? Gilbert shrugged and drifted off into his memories, thinking about Matthew…how he looked, how he tasted, how he felt… It was all interrupted, though, as a hand roughly slammed down on his shoulder, gripping him tightly and angrily. "What the fuck?" Gilbert snapped, turning around to see who it was.

…Oh fucking hell.

"You bastard…I thought we were friends! You and Mattieu are _together? _How dare you take him away from me, you fucking little cocksucker!"

…_Now would be a good time for Ludwig to burst in here and save my ass…_

_

* * *

_**I'm sorry for the long wait! –bows in apology- I hope I haven't lost any readers because of that long wait! Anyway, I haven't updated this for a while, so my writing may be a bit rusty…**

**Finally, you get to see some actual RoChu and GerIta!**

**Next chapter will have Kiku and Heracles, so stay tuned! I'll try and update faster, now that it's summer.**

**Review please! No flames!**


	9. Chapter 8: Jealous

_I'll bloom as the poison flower_

_And become the flower that blooms again.  
A wounded heart will fade away_

_The love is destroying you, in full bloom with the flowers. _

_- **Jealous **by Dir en Grey _

_

* * *

_Kiku Honda was, in the eyes of all who saw him, a delicate, graceful, porcelain doll. His skin was as pale as moonlight. His rich brown hair—which looked closed to a raven-black color—was so smooth and silky that it was like touching pure, flawless silk. His graceful composure and charming manners were equal to those of a princess from an age lost in time. A time of chivalry and knights rescuing fair maidens, no doubt. Kiku was just like a doll.

Flawless and smooth on the outside.

Empty and dark on the inside.

The petit Japanese man sat beside his husband, a tall and rather built Greek by the name of Heracles, in a small, crowded office that smelled strongly of cigarettes and strange, foreign spices. The source of the strange, unpleasant combination of smells was none other than their landlord, Sadiq Adnan. Sadiq was a rather loud, narrow-minded man from Turkey. Which, of course, explained the scent of foreign spices. Kiku tried his best to keep his face still and doll-like, but it was rather obvious that he wanted to run screaming from the disgusting little room. How could anyone withstand this smell? Kiku glanced at his husband briefly, reading a similar distressed aura coming from him as well. Had they run away from their old lives just to end up with this? The thought made them _both_ feel a bit irritated, but in their position, they could not complain or whine. It was this or death.

"Your rent is late."

Sadiq's words broke their unease.

"I beg your pardon?" Kiku's soft, feminine voice came out first. "We paid, though... I know, for I was the one that delivered it."

The Turk sighed and kept his eyes locked on Kiku, acting as if Heracles didn't exist at all. "True, but it wasn't enough. You two didn't pay the full enough. So, in other words, it is late." Sadiq said all this while his cigarette was nearly dangling from the corner of his lips. He quickly caught it before it fell and stuck it back in between the two brown petals. "If you can't pay the rest by the end of next week, you two have go to go. I'm giving you both way too many chances, and I'm loosing a shitload of money."

Heracles finally spoke. "Listen... We'll have the money. But if we can't get it in time... Is there anything else we can offer you? I'm sure we can work out some kind of deal...?" His voice was rather deep and slow—almost as if he was fighting off a strong feeling of drowsiness. The Greek ran a hand through his wavy brown hair and bit his lip uneasily. This had to work. They had to stay. If they got kicked out and started handing out their names... Someone would recognize them soon enough, even though they were hundreds of miles away from their old lives. Even if they gave out fake names, someone would recognize them. A student doing a newspaper project. A senior citizen that watched the news all day. A reporter looking for their big story. Anything... Anyone... It was always possible.

"A deal, huh?" Saidq's eyes locked onto Kiku's thin, delicate body. "...I think we can work something out."

"...You fucking asshole," Heracles abruptly hissed, his eyes narrowed in malice. "I'd rather live on the streets than let Kiku, _my_ Kiku, be some kind of... of... Prostitute!" The Greek stood up and turned to his husband, gesturing towards the door. The negotiation was over. They had to pay their rent. It was either that or risk their lives. Again.

* * *

"Heracles-san, you shouldn't express anger in such a violent manner," Kiku said quietly. His voice was like a whisper, as always. Even when he was a young child, living with his real family, everyone had to stop talking and listen carefully in order to catch the words spilling from Kiku's lips. His voice was—if you could hear it—lovely and somewhat resembled an angel's. You had to close your eyes to appreciate the flow of his voice, the hushed whispers that came forth, the poetry that was created. Someone loud like Sadiq could never hear Kiku's lovely words. He just kept pursuing him in ways that drove Heracles mad.

Flowers by the window every Sunday morning.

Gifts that were given without warning.

Stopping by unannounced when Heracles was away at work.

Suggestive words and actions.

Heracles frowned slightly and reached out, taking his husband's small and fragile hand into his own. "I'm sorry, Kiku, but I can't help it... He's trying to steal you from me... I can't...let him do that." He brought Kiku's hand to his lips and kissed each finger apologetically. He couldn't control his sudden bursts of anger, and Kiku knew it. He was usually a quiet, reserved man that never dared to raise his voice... But when it came to Kiku, he was a fierce warrior ready to strike down any enemy or suspicious person. It was a bit... troubling. Especially since they needed to keep quiet for, probably, the rest of their lives. They were in hiding from a ruthless organization of crime called _The Comrades._ One slip-up and they were as good as gone.

"Heracles-san, you know that I'd never let him take me away from you. Besides, I know martial arts." Kiku smiled a bit playfully. "If his hand goes anywhere inappropriate, he might have to get some stitches! That'd be the least of his injuries, though."

They entered their apartment. The first thing to greet them was their cat, Tama.

Heracles and Kiku loved cats. Simply adored the cute little creatures. They used to have about ten, but seeing how they could barely afford to pay for their own meals and rent, they gave them all up for adoption. All except Tama. Tama was their special cat—he was like Kiku. Calm. Composed. Obedient yet clever. Stealthy. And, of coursed, loved salty foods.

"Kiku... About the rent... How are we going to pay it up?" Heracles frowned again. "If anything, we should avoid another move. Too many records on us isn't good. Sure, we changed our names, but people will start to get suspicious..."

Kiku smiled pleasantly. "Don't worry, Heracles-san. Last night, I discovered something that I had nearly forgotten about. Ano... I think it should be enough to cover this and part of next month's rent."

"Where did you get so much money? Did you get a bonus at work?"

The Japanese man knelt down and petted Tama quietly, a somewhat twisted smile on his face. "Yong Soo doesn't really need that college money. He's too stupid to do anything useful. "

And no more questions were asked.

* * *

Matthew smiled timidly at Alfred and Arthur, his eyes reflecting the unease that was bubbling in his stomach. Talk about awkward. Meeting up with Alfred to talk about Gilbert was one thing, but meeting up with Alfred _and_ Arthur was just a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't like he was afraid of Arthur, though. It was just that they both worked as detectives—interrogating people until they were ready to scream and sob their secrets and information. ...Matthew felt as if this while 'talking about the new boyfriend' thing was just another interrogation. Would he end up screaming and crying?

Probably not. But it felt like it would lead up to that.

The three sat at Matthew's kitchen table, eating some pancakes that Matthew prepared and drinking tea that Arthur had brought along as a congratulations gift. Alfred, of course, drank coffee instead. _"Tea is too sissy for me! ...No offense, Iggy and Mattie." _Such a strange one, that Alfred...

"So, this new boyfriend... Gilbert, right? He isn't like that scumbag you were dating last time, right?" Alfred managed to slap on his biggest All-American grin and laugh, his eyes caught between twinkling with sibling mischief and clouding with concern. "That last guy was a total douche bag, and you just let him ignore you and fuck every man and woman that he could charm! ...Oops, sorry." The crestfallen look on Matthew's face and the obviously-pissed-off look on Arthur's made the American shut up for once.

"Honestly, Alfred... Anyway, Gilbert sounds absolutely charming. He's been a friend of yours for years, he sounds rather romantic and caring, and he actually tells you things,"Arthur mused, his tea cup elegantly in his hands like a true Brit. "Hmm... I'd like to meet him. He sounds quite nice. True, he sounds like he's a bit loud, but he doesn't make you hush up when he speaks. ...Yes, he sounds like a gentleman. It's a shame he couldn't come by today. At least he's working, unlike that bloody arse you used to date. You're too good for that old boyfriend, Mattie." Another thing Matthew noticed about Arthur was that he rambled. A lot. But it wasn't the useless, unrelated kind of rambling—it was the kind that made you feel like one quirky family full of strange habits and personalities. Huh... Would Gilbert end up as part of the family?

Matthew blushed.

Alfred pouted.

"Artie, it sounds like you like him better than me!"

"Shut up, git."

"But...!"

Arthur threw a stern glare towards his boyfriend. "For the love of the Queen, stop your yapping! Your voice is so annoying, you wanker!"

"That's not what you said last night between the sheets~"

Matthew nearly choked on the pancake piece that was still sliding down his throat. Oh Lord. Hearing about his brother's sex life with Arthur really was something that he _hated_ hearing about. Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. Now he had to avoid looking at them directly, or else he'd start to picture them naked and... Matthew blushed even more.

_Bad brain! Bad! Bad! Don't think about them fucki—MAPLE! _

"Oi, Mattie, you okay? You look feverish."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "It's because you _always_ manage to bring in something vulgar when we meet up. Honestly, is sex all you can think of?" He huffed and then chose to ignore his boyfriend. His thick brows were scrunched in anger and embarrassment, and his lips were twitching... Almost as if he was caught between shouting another insult and whining about how stupid Alfred was. Maybe a combination of both. Who knew? The Brit was, to put it mildly, a bit moody. He would be screaming bloody murder one moment and then acting like a shy, flustered school girl the next. Oh, the irony. He was always the submissive one. Always.

Alfred decided to keep that one secret. He didn't want Arthur screaming at him even more.

"Ehmm... So, Gilbert is friends with your ex-boyfriend/jerk, right? Isn't that kind of... a bad thing? 'Cuz, your ex might get super pissed, ya'know!"

Matthew sighed and stabbed at his pancake at the mention of his ex. _Francis._ Ugh. The name made him feel like his stomach was being punched repeatedly. That jerk. The Frenchman had, in the beginning, been a charming young gentleman that filled his days with endless wonder. Now... What were they now? Even if Francis didn't know about him and Gilbert, were they even anything when Gilbert came in as a love interest? The quiet, shy Canadian sighed and shook his head. "I don't really care about how he feels anymore. He was cheating on me, and he didn't even bother to hide it. Gilbert is the one I care for."

Alfred rested his elbows on the table, resting his head on his palms in a lazy manner. "No, I didn't mean that. What I mean is, won't your ex get mad at _Gilbert?_ I mean, he'll accuse him of being a jerk or somethin' like that... Then they'll stop being friends and all that, right, Artie?"

"How would I know this, you sod? Bugger off and let me finish my tea."

Matthew stared at them worriedly. "You... You think Francis would do that? Francis wouldn't beat up Gilbert, though! H-He wouldn't dare... Right? I-I mean, Gilbert is a real nice guy, but I heard that he's downright dangerous in fights... He could hurt Francis... O-Oh, but..." He didn't finish the sentence. Truth was, he didn't want either to get hurt because of him. In all honesty, he always laughed at the unreal love triangles that he witnessed on soap operas. Now he was a part of one, and it sure was real.

Great.

"Don't worry, dude! If your Gilbert gets hurt, call on the hero!" Alfred pointed to himself, grinning like an All-American idiot. "I'll kick that jerk Francis' ass all the way back to... Wait, where is he from?"

Matthew glumly replied, "France."

"Right! All the back to France!"

...And as the two brothers laughed and continued sharing their stories and relationship details, they failed to notice the state of shock Arthur was in. His eyes were widened and glazed over with panic. His face paled slightly, but it was slightly unnoticeable due to his already-pale complexion. Perhaps the most striking thing that had occurred within the last few moments was the way he began to shake. His still, composed body was trembling—not too noticeable but still visible. Alfred brushed it off as being cold and placed his warm, sweet scented jacket around the Brit, and then went back to chatting.

_A Francis and a Gilbert? No... It couldn't be... No, they gave up their ways long ago! ...But what if they didn't?_

Arthur feared the answer. With every fiber of his being.

* * *

**BWAAAAH. I'M BACK FROM THE DEAD. **

**I'm terribly sorry about the super long delay. And when I mean super, I MEAN SUPER. God, how many months has it been? I hope some of you are still out there reading this... :3**

**Anyway, I'm sorry if my writing style has changed a bit. I kind of think it did. (•_• ;)**

_**Next chapter will include:**_

• _**A lost friendship  
• A surprise visit  
• A confession**_  
• _**A jar of pebbles**_


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